I Used to Know
by FanOfRandomThings
Summary: When Arthur accidentally eats rat poison, Merlin has to save him with magic. Arthur only half remembers the experience, however soon Morgana hears about Merlin's supposed magic. With Morgana trying to get rid of Merlin, and Arthur now unsure about where Merlin's loyalties lay, the warlock is in very deep trouble. Will he be able to prove himself? eventual hurt/sad!Merlin No Slash
1. Prologue

_So this is a story completely co-written with **Anna Davenport**. She's another user on here; you should totally go check out her stories! (She's writing a Merlin one!)_

_IMPORTANT: This is an AU sort of thing. Arthur is king, but Morgana has not yet been discovered as evil!_

* * *

"I, Arthur Pendragon, hereby announce that Merlin, my former manservant, is to be detained until tomorrow. He is the first example of why magic of all types had been banned from Camelot. The sorcerer will be executed at dawn."

It was with a heavy heart that Arthur so condemned his friend and former servant, but the morals of his father were ingrained deeply into his heart. All magic was evil- it always had been and always would be.

In every attempt on his life, somehow magic had been involved. They had never found an explanation for the source of the magic, until now. No one besides Merlin would be impetuous enough to expose himself in such a manner. Arthur wondered what Merlin's goal had been; to take his life or simply make his life miserable, because he certainly had done a good job with the later.

According to his father's traditions, Arthur had no choice but to detain him in the dungeon until dawn at which time he was to be executed.

Arthur made his way slowly to his room where he sat upon the bed, running his hands through his hair.

"Merlin!" He called, then his stomach dropped in realization.

'_Okay, no, he's not your friend anymore. He is a sorcerer, he has betrayed you_,' Arthur reminded himself. Still his eyes drifted toward the spot where Merlin had always stood at attention, ready to follow Arthur's every command, more or less.

Arthur groaned as he realized he had no choice for a manservant other than George.

"George!" Arthur shouted, and then screwed his eyes shut as he mentally prepared himself for the most boring week of his life with George until someone new could be hired.


	2. Chapter 1

**AN: **_Don't own Merlin blablabla usual stuff :)_

_Again, written with **Anna** **Davenport**, half and half!_

* * *

_Some months previous_

"Merlin! Where's Merlin?" Arthur stormed around the castle look for his friend and servant. Merlin had jobs to do, including mucking out the stables and polishing Arthur's armor, and he hadn't even gotten Arthur breakfast yet!

"Have you seen that insufferable servant of mine?" Arthur asked as he encountered Gwaine, who nodded.

"He's been in Gaius's chambers since the wee hours of the morning. And before you ask what he's doing there, I have no idea..."

"I don't care; are you sure you don't know what he's doing there?"

"I just told you Princess, or tried to tell you, I don't know." Gwaine said adamantly.

Arthur stomped away in the direction of Gaius's chambers and slammed the doors open to find Gaius experimenting with some new ingredients.

"Where's Merlin?" Arthur demanded, to which Gaius nodded toward Merlin's room.

"He's been in his room all morning, Sire." Gaius explained.

"I _thought_ he would be," Arthur muttered before throwing open Merlin's door.

"Oh, Arthur, uh hi! I was supposed to come to work, wasn't I?," Merlin glanced up quickly as Arthur stormed in. "Is it that late already?"

"Yes Merlin, you were supposed to be at work an hour ago. Where's my breakfast?"

"You know, funny story, that," Merlin shuffled around awkwardly. Arthur did not look amused. Merlin cleared his throat. "I'll just go get your breakfast."

"Yes, do," Arthur agreed.

"You could always have George fetch it if I am late you know." Merlin called back as a parting comment.

* * *

Arthur paced impatiently as he waited for Merlin to return. How long did it take one to get breakfast, anyway? Arthur eventually leaned against a wall, frustrated, when a golden wine goblet sitting on the table caught his eye. Arthur's stomach rumbled loudly.

"Oh look, wine. Since Merlin didn't bring me my breakfast, he shouldn't get his."

With that. Arthur downed the wine in two gulps.

A few moments later, Merlin came in with a tray of food. Arthur turned to glare at him, and motioned to the empty goblet in his hand.

"What in Camelot did you do to this wine?" Arthur commented. "It tastes... odd."

There was a clatter as Merlin dropped the tray he had just brought.

"Merlin, that was my breakfast," Arthur complained, looking down at the meat and cheese on the floor, as Merlin stared at him in shock and horror.

"How do you feel, Arthur?" Merlin swallowed uneasily.

"I feel just fine," Arthur said as he swayed clumsily, and Merlin grabbed Arthur and led him over to his bed to sit down.

"Do you feel dizzy?" Merlin asked, clearly worried.

"Merlin, why is the ground shaking? Make it stop Merlin," then Arthur's eyes rolled back into his head and he became limp.

Merlin paled and shook Arthur, to no avail.

"Arthur, wake up!" Merlin begged, however Arthur remained unconscious.

In desperation, Merlin slapped Arthur's cheek, but Arthur made no response.

"Gaius!" Merlin shouted. "What should I do if someone drinks that new rat poison I was brewing?"

"Merlin, what did you do?" Gaius stormed into the room. "I have told you many times to not let anyone near your concoctions."

"I may have inadvertently poisoned Arthur, maybe, possibility; I'm not totally sure but he's not waking up..."

Gaius hurried over to the unconscious king and placed a hand on his brow.

"Well?" Merlin asked.

"Did you follow my instructions and find a cure for this poison?" Gaius demanded.

"Uh, well, I, um," Merlin hesitated, a thoughtful look on his face.

"You didn't," Gaius ran a hand over his face.

"I can!" Merlin spoke up. "Now! Thing is, though, I'm not totally sure I can come up with a cure that fast… Maybe I can come up with a spell though!"

"Well you'd better, because in 28 hours Camelot will be without a king if you don't," Gaius warned.

Merlin's face fell, his eyes widening as he realized he might very well kill the one he was destined to protect.

"Anything I can do for you now? I could bring something!"

"I'll get everything that's necessary, you go work on that spell."

Merlin nodded uneasily, swallowing again.

"At least I know the potion works," he stated, before he scrambled away to look at an old book he had stored on his shelf.

* * *

Merlin tried spell after spell, glancing in his book for new ideas. Merlin didn't bother to eat or sleep as he searched tirelessly for some way to help Arthur. Gaius brought him some lunch, and then some dinner, however Merlin didn't touch either. 18 hours had gone by before Arthur's eyes flicked open. He looked dazedly around himself, before his gaze landed on Merlin.

"I did it!" Merlin yelped as he clapped his hands. Gaius came rushing in hopefully, only to lose his look of hope.

"His eyes are dilated," Gaius pointed out.

"Yeah, so?" Merlin asked. "Is that a problem?"

"It means the poison is still at work, it's simply moved to stage two."

"So my spell didn't work?" Merlin asked, crestfallen.

"No Merlin, it didn't. You'd best get back to work, I'll check on Arthur."

Merlin watched the exchange between Gaius and Arthus subtly, his brow furrowed as he looked through his spell book for anything that could help Arthur.

"How do you feel, Sire?" Gaius asked, attempting to hide his concern.

"Merlin!" Arthur called, as if his manservent was not in the room. He looked around wildly, his gaze traveling over Merlin several times before he turned to Gaius and asked. "Merlin, has he left? Where'd he go?"

Merlin sighed and glanced at Gaius, "How long is he going to be like this?"

"As long as you take trying to come up with a cure!" Gaius replied. "I'll get a cold cloth to try and bring down his fever."

"Merlin!" Arthur shouted again.

"What?" Merlin stalked over to the bedside.

"Merlin, I want Gwen," Arthur said, suddenly sounding quite pitiful.

Merlin hesitated at that request as he really didn't want Gwen knowing he had poisoned her love.

"She is gone, away," he stammered out the excuse. "She went to visit family in…" Merlin paused as he realized he had no idea where her family was.

Arthur's head fell back upon the pillow, giving no argument, which only further frightened Merlin.

"Arthur?" Merlin poked Arthur in the shoulder. When he got no response Merlin turned back to his book and flipped through pages of old writing. He murmured a few lines of Celtish, while pointing at Arthur with his hand. Arthur remained unresponsive, however as Merlin sighed and flipped through the book uselessly, he noticed that one page was dog-eared.

Curious, Merlin opened to the folded page, and his face lit up. This might be the right spell, however he had to make sure he wasn't wrong or it might have bad side effects.

As Gaius walked in the room, Merlin pointed excitedly to the spell, but Gaius's only response was to shrug.

"I wouldn't know," he told the young warlock. Gaius placed the damp cloth upon Arthur's forehead, causing the king to moan.

"Why is it raining, I thought it was summer time," Arthur mumbled.

"I don't want to cast it if it's the wrong spell," Merlin told Gaius.

"We only have 9 hours Merlin, I think it'd be best to hurry this up."

"Merlin, why is it sunny now? Such odd weather we get these days. Merlin, change it."

"Well, I guess I could just try the spell..." Merlin's voice sounded more like a question than a decision.

"You have to believe in yourself if this is going to work, Merlin. I believe that you can harness your power and heal Arthur at this crucial time"

"Okay okay, I'll try," Merlin turned to Arthur as he mumbled to himself: "No pressure or anything."

With a deep breath, he began chanting in an ancient language, his eyes focused steadily on Arthur. Sweat began to bead on Merlin's forehead in his concentration. Several times his eyes flicked from gold to blue, and back to gold, however Arthur seemed to be falling asleep rather than getting better.

"Come closer," Gaius told Merlin. "Don't stand on the opposite side of the room. Perhaps you'll be better able to concentrate."

Merlin took the suggestion and he came to stand beside Arthur, his eyes golden.

'_It's not working!'_ Merlin swallowed uneasily. '_Come on, work already! Please?'_

Merlin's hand began to shake, and then hope rushed through him when Arthur's pallid coloring began to change back to a healthy peach.

"Keep going, Merlin," Gaius encouraged, and Merlin whispered with more vigour now, completely caught up in the spell.

Merlin was so caught up in the spell, in fact, that he didn't notice Arthur's eyes flickering open again.

"Merlin, wha's wrong wi your eyes?" Arthus slurred, which Merlin's gaze shoot down to stare at Arthus in horror.

"Merlin?" Gaius glanced questioningly at the young brunette, who set his mouth in a hard line.

Merlin's eyes flicked to Gaius before he spoke.

"I have to keep going or it'll all be for naught. I have to finish!" Merlin told the old man, who nodded slowly. Arthur was rather delusional, after all. He'd never remember this once he was well!

"Merlin, what're you doing?" Arthur slurred again, however he seemed to be becoming more aware.

_Ignore his question, _a small voice inside of Merlin said. _Just keep going._

"_Altraim a-nis*," _Merlin finished, and his eyes faded to their natural color. However, Merlin noticed with some unease that Arthur was staring at him with far too much clarity and confusion.

"What was that about?" Arthur's voice had returned to normal, annoyance and all.

"Er, what? What was what about? You'll have to be more specific," Merlin told Arthur before glancing at Gaius nervously.

"I mean, what was _that _about, with the glowing eyes and the hand," Arthur tried to sit up, however his arm collapsed and he fell back against his pillow.

"Careful, you're very weak, Sire," Gaius help Arthur to sit up.

"Yes, you just had a horrible ordeal! I think you must have been hallucinating!" Merlin declared dramatically. "That can happen you when drink things you aren't supposed to, you prat."

Merlin had allowed himself a small grin since Arthur seemed to be basically healed (Merlin was quite proud of himself), however now his worry tainted frustration from earlier returned with full force.

"Why'd you do that, anyway? You drank that goblet of bad wine and we barely had time to save you!"

"Bad wine?" Arthur glanced at Merlin weakly. "What, you mean your breakfast?"

"My breakfast?" Merlin almost laughed. "Even I wouldn't eat that for breakfast!"

"Where's my breakfast, by the way? I'm still terribly hungry. Oh that's right, you smashed it all over the floor. Merlin, make yourself useful and get me some more breakfast!"

"Make myself useful? I just saved your life!"

Arthur and Gaius both stared at him, though Gaius looked far more worried while Arthur just looked confused.

"You saved me?" Arthur asked.

"Yes," Merlin nodded slowly. "Yes I did, because I brought you Gaius's cure from the other room!"

Merlin finished with a grin, which made Arthur roll his eyes before shutting them with a sigh.

"_Saved me,_" Arthur mocked softly. "I guess it was rather heroic of you to not have dropped the cure on the way here."

Merlin sighed, before snatching the damp towel away from Arthur.

"I'll go get you your dinner," Merlin told him.

"My what?" Arthur's eyes shot open. "What happened to breakfast, lunch, and tea?"

"You were hallucinating and with a fever," Merlin reminded him. "I don't think you were up for those meals. I'll be back."

Gaius tended to the king as Merlin hurried away, asking more specifically how Arthur felt. Though at first Arthur played his pity card, eventually he said he was fine and told Gaius to stop fussing over him.

"I'll be back in just a moment," Arthur was told by the old healer, and then he was left alone in the room. He closed his eyes to rest, however for some reason the image of Merlin having almost glowing golden eyes seemed ingrained in his mind. Some hallucination; it seemed almost real.

* * *

*Altraim a-nis is Gaelic for heal now

**AN: **_So, what do you think so far? Will Arthur continue thinking about what Merlin did? Will he bring it up? How are the characterizations? (This is my first Merlin fic.) Please leave a review :)_


	3. Chapter 2

**AN: **_Thanks for the favs, follows, and reviews last chapter. Us writers really appreciate them :) Also, just a reminder that this story it totally co-written with **Anna Davenport**, another ff user. Please feel free to check out her stories. _

_Pretty long chapter this time, hope you enjoy!_

* * *

It wasn't until the next morning that Arthur made an appearance in the court and to the other knights. Gwen was endlessly worried when she found out that Arthur had been ill because he'd drunk bad wine. She told Merlin to inform her about such things in the future because for a long time no one could tell her where the boys had disappeared to and she'd been worried.

"Sorry Gwen." Merlin had apologized, all the while indignantly thinking: _I was a bit busy saving his life, as usual_.

Morgana appeared equally worried about Arthur, and she checked over and over to make sure he was alright. For at least a half hour she asked again and again if Arthur was sure that he was well, if there was anything she could do for him, and told him how she was 'very relieved that he was feeling some better, though he should continue to rest until he was sure he would be alright.'

Merlin, who was standing in a doorway during most of this, ground his teeth together in frustration. He didn't trust her. No matter how much he wanted to, he simply couldn't trust her after everything she had pulled, and yet he couldn't tell anyone but Gaius how uneasy she made him feel.

After approximately a half hour, Morgana seemed to be sure that Arthur wouldn't keel over, and so she turned to exit the hall. As it so happened, she began to walk out of the door where Merlin was leaning against the frame. When she saw him, her eyes widened, and then narrowed.

"You had better be sure no more _bad wine _finds it's way into the king's hands, shouldn't you Merlin? Surely you wouldn't want him to be drinking _bad wine _that's laying around Gaius's chamber, or worse yet your own, would you?"

Merlin swallowed, shaking his head and quickly uttering that no, of course he wouldn't.

"That's good. After all, Arthur is all that Camelot has now, isn't he? I'll see you later, Merlin."

With that, Morgana hurried away leaving Merlin with a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. She made him jumpy and completely on edge, a feeling that he could never quite get used to… Perhaps he should follow her, just to make sure she wasn't up to something?

"Merlin," Arthur called. "Can you come here?"

'_Now what does he want?' _Merlin thought to himself. Still, he forfeited the idea of following Morgana and hurried to help Arthur instead.

* * *

Morgana's steps echoed in the hall as she hurried to her chambers. Once inside, she called out to see if Gwen was around. Once she realized she was alone, Morgana locked the door and let out a chuckle of victory. Arthur had drunk 'bad wine' that just happened to be sitting on Merlin's table in a golden wine goblet? This was simply to perfect. Morgana completely doubted that Merlin had meant anything to happen to Arthur, but the circumstances were terribly suspicious and didn't lean in Merlin's favor in any way.

And there was another thing; how had they saved Arthur from the 'bad wine'? Of course Gaius probably had cures for such things, but it was worth asking Arthur, just to see if there were any more suspicious details she could gather.

Ever since Merlin had learned about Morgana's involvement with Morgause, she knew a simple statement to Arthur could potentially send her to the dungeons. Of course, Merlin would probably never do that because he knew that no one would believe him. To many times Merlin had made accusations and gotten in trouble for them. Morgana had changed and saved the kingdom, at least that's what everyone else thought, and accusing her of anything would only make Merlin look like more of an idiot then Arthur already thought he was. Yet the threat was there and it made Morgana uneasy.

She paced as she thought about what she could do to push the trust Arthur had for Merlin over the edge. She had seen the strange looks Arthur had given Merlin as he had assured Morgana that he was perfectly alright, that the wine had probably just sat out too long. All of them knew what a pitiful excuse it was; wine that sat out just tended to ferment, not make someone sick for a day. Perhaps she should go talk to Arthur about this fact- casually of course. Not today, though, Arthur likely wanted some time alone to think. The more Arthur thought about the events, the more he might question why the bad wine was sitting out like that.

It was all absolutely perfect.

* * *

Merlin helped Arthur back to his chambers before asking if he needed anything. After a moment, Arthur watched as Merlin left the room, and he remained standing for a minute before walking to his bed and collapsing. He still felt a lingering exhaustion from the "bad wine" and it made him want to fall asleep then and there. However, every time he closed his eyes, he was greeted with the sight of Merlin's eyes glowing gold. He just could not get the image out of his mind!

He knew that he'd been hallucinating, and yet it had seemed so real! Beyond that, his mind kept traveling to why the wine was bad in the first place. Merlin had never explained that.

Did wine really go bad from just sitting out? Arthur wasn't sure; he made a mental note to ask Gwaine later. Arthur knew Gwaine was the expert on all things concerning wine.

As of now, however, Arthur didn't feel like he wanted to be asking anyone anything. Instead he sighed and promptly fell asleep.

* * *

Merlin exited Arthur's chambers and softly closed the door, sighing in relief. Arthur hadn't mentioned his magic yet and Merlin could only hope that he hadn't seen it or assumed that he had been hallucinating. He hurried through the halls, partly hoping he would run into Morgana so he could find out if she was up to anything suspicious, and partly never wanting to see Morgana again. Morgana had disappeared, however, so he reached Gaius's rooms without incident.

Gaius was waiting inside, his foot tapping the ground, and Merlin spared him a grin before he attempted to escape to the safety of his own room. He wasn't so lucky.

"Merlin," Gaius cleared his throat. "Wait just a moment."

"Well, actually I kind of have to clean my room, so if you'll excuse me," Merlin attempted, however one glare from Gaius made him stop in his tracks and slowly sit down on a nearby stool. Merlin played with his hands distractedly.

"Merlin," Gaius spoke, and Merlin glanced up quickly.

"Mm hm?" Merlin smiled slightly.

"Why did you put the rat poison in a wine goblet?"

"Well," Merlin hesitated. "Well, I… I didn't know Arthur would go in there; he doesn't normally, ever. And I had just finished it, so I was going to pour it around the rooms, and the cauldron is kind of heavy. You've got to admit it's kind of heavy. Don't you think it's kind of heavy?"

Gaius raised his eyebrow at Merlin as if to say, _That is not an excuse, _and said, "Merlin how many times have I told you…"

Merlin grinned at Gaius.

"To do all my experiments in my room? I did do my experiment in my room. Because its the one place Arthur never goes!" Merlin was smirking because for once he had listened.

"What about making the antidotes concurrent to the poisons?" Gaius asked and smiled as Merlin's face fell.

"Well, next time," Merlin promised. "At least I got the first part right!"

"Merlin this time is when Arthur drank it," Gaius pointed out. "You're lucky a full fledged investigation hasn't been put into play."

Merlin glanced down, not quite sure what to say to that.

"I think you'd best do some extra chores for Arthur for a while," Gaius told Merlin. "But now you can rest; you spent all day and yesterday working quite hard."

"Thanks," Merlin smiled at the old man. "I guess I can muck out his horses doubly well or something."

Gaius smiled, "I am sure Arthur will have no trouble finding you extra chores to do."

Merlin groaned at the thought of polishing Arthur's armor, cleaning his room and polishing boots for hours on end.

"Well, I'm going to rest right now," Merlin told Gaius. "All of that is tomorrow's problem."

Gaius sighed as the young man scurried into his room, and then Gaius turned back to his work. Merlin must have all the luck in the world on his side or he'd have been in miles of trouble that even he couldn't get himself out of, long ago.

Despite Arthur's flaws, Gaius was glad that the king was forgiving; also that the king was lacking a little common sense. Had he common sense, Merlin's luck might have run out a while ago.

* * *

"Extra chores? Okay, well you can go out and muck the stables out, and then shine my armour, then you could beat my rug to get all the dust out, that hasn't happened in a while. Could you organize my wardrobe? Oh, and don't forget lunch! Also all of your standard chores of course."

"Of course," Merlin forced a grin and walked toward the door.

"And Merlin…" Arthur called, waiting until Merlin turned to face him. "Take my dogs for a walk would you?"

"My favorite part of the day," Merlin told Arthur sarcastically. The sarcasm appeared lost on Arthur, who simply nodded and went back to whatever he'd previously been doing.

Arthur, who had been writing a letter, signed it quickly and then stood, stretching. He felt much better now that the whole "bad wine" thing was a few days in the past. It was time he go out and talk to the knights. He hadn't trained in several days now and while he was there he could ask Gwaine about wine's poisonous qualities.

"Arthur, glad to see you up and about."

Arthur turned to see Morgana hurrying to catch up with him.

"Morgana," he smiled at the dark haired woman. "Yes, I feel fit as a fiddle, thanks to Gaius…"

Arthur trailed off, causing Morgana to step forward, appearing worried.

"What about Gaius?" Morgana asked.

"Oh, nothing about Gaius," Arthur laughed easily. "It's nothing."

"No, tell me what's worrying you, Arthur," Morgana stared into Arthur's eyes. "I can tell something is troubling your mind. Tell me, perhaps I can help you?"

"Really, it's nothing," Arthur laughed again, however his creased brow only caused Morgana to look more worried.

"It's why it was there that has you worried, isn't it?" Morgana nodded at Arthur. "Like you said; it had probably just sat out for too long, right? Surely there isn't more to the story, you don't think? There is something else that has you worried as well!"

"Really, I.. Well," Arthur glanced away. "Just strange dreams is all. I'm sure Guias has something that could help with that?"

"Strange dreams?" now Morgana appeared even more curious.

"Yes, apparently I was hallucinating and now I keep imagining Merlin with these glowing eyes. It's the last time I drink," Arthur hesitated. "Wine that's bad."

"Glowing eyes?" Morgana's voice was filled with worry as she took in this information.

Arthur immediately picked up on the tone of her voice. "Do you know something Morgana?"

Morgana shook her head but then spoke, "The only time I saw eyes that were glowing… They were golden. It was Morgause. When she kidnapped me, her eyes glowed golden when she would recite a spell or use magic of any kind."

Arthur looked worried for a moment, before he laughed, seeming to think that Morgana was joking. When realized that she wasn't, he shook his head.

"No, no it's Merlin," Arthur laughed. "Merlin, you know? Merlin."

Arthur hesitated for a moment, thinking hard, before he again repeated. "No, no it's Merlin. He's not… He's not a _sorcerer_ of all things. Of course, his eyes were golden… But it's Merlin! He bumbles around so much he'd never be able to do anything like that…"

Arthur trailed off again, Morgana's worried eyes scrutinizing him carefully.

"Arthur?" Morgana asked softly, pulling Arthur from his musings.

"Huh? Oh, Morgana, I'd better go, you know. I need to train with the knights today," Arthur walked off toward the field, leaving Morgana staring after him, a look of confusion playing over her face for a moment. Merlin had glowing eyes? Surely not, however when she thought about, was it possible? Her face became one of victory a few moments later when she realized that, whether he did or he didn't, Arthur was already second guessing himself and his servant.

Of course Camelot wasn't built in a day, but trust could be broken in a second, and her seconds were quickly coming together. Now perhaps she should go talk to Merlin.

* * *

Merlin was in the stables, brushing Arthur's favorite horse, when he heard a noise at the door. He turned to see Morgana standing there.

"My Lady Morgana." he said, "Would you like to go riding?"

Morgana said nothing, instead she stepped further into the stables, causing Merlin to shift uneasily. He plastered a smile on his face anyway, swallowing his unease.

"A ride might be nice," she nodded after a moment. "Would you care to join me?"

"My Lady Morgana, I, I don't think..." Merlin trailed off uneasily, and Morgana nodded once.

"I see. Well then go ahead and saddle just my horse. It's good Arthur is feeling better, isn't it? He's even out training with the knights. I overheard him asking Gwaine about bad wine; probably wants to know why wine which has been sitting out might make one ill."

Merlin dropped Morgana's saddle, however with a slightly uneasy chuckle he hurried to pick it up.

"Poor thing was hallucinating too. Did you know that, Merlin?"

"Hallucinating?" Merlin glanced at Morgana before hurrying to finish with the saddle. The sooner she was gone, the happier Melin would be.

"Yes, he thinks you're a sorcerer."

Merlin froze, forgetting to breathe for a moment before his breath came in horrified little gasps.

"Not really, of course," Morgana continued cheerily after a moment, however her intense gaze made Merlin hurry to get back to work. "After he drank the wine he thought he saw something that surely couldn't have been true, could it, Merlin?"

"Yes, yes, I remember. He, he was hallucinating," Merlin turned back to Morgana, his voice tripping over itself. "Your horse is ready. I had better get back to work. Arthur has given me extra chores, you know."

"Shouldn't you finish in the stables first? After all, you wouldn't want to leave something undone, now would you?"

Merlin nodded wordlessly, however as he began to exit the horse's stall, Morgana stopped him, her voice low.

"Remember, Merlin, you may think you're Arthur's friend, and he may think you're an entertaining servant, but that's all that you are: a servant. Don't you think for a minute that I am fooled by what has occurred. You are doing things behind his back. There is no reason why wine would go bad simply by sitting out. You had better keep a low profile, Merlin, or Arthur might start suspecting things, mightn't he? Remember, he is a king, and I too am like royalty. Our word is law, and what is your word worth? Nothing in the eyes of the law. Should anything happen to Arthur, all eyes might just turn to you. Just keep that in mind, servant."

Merlin swallowed, his eyes shining with hurt, and he turned to leave the stables. He hesitated before he departed, however, to hang the curry on the wall and refill Arthur's horse's water.

"The stables are finished," he muttered just loud enough for Morgana to hear. "Have a good ride."

And then he disappeared out the door, unaware of Morgana's smirk of victory.

* * *

Merlin walked back toward Arthur's chambers with a worried frown on his face. Morgana was plotting something, yet Merlin was powerless to tell Arthur anything; he'd never believe him. Merlin was glad that Arthur thought he was hallucinating about Merlin's magic, or at least Merlin was pretty sure that was what Morgana was getting at when she told him what she had in the stables. Then again, Morgana seemed to know something. The way she had been looking at him, as if she could see right through him, was unnerving and it made him shiver subconsciously.

Yanking open the doors, Merlin surveyed Arthur's chambers and was quick to pick up a shirt which was hanging on the curtains. How in the world had that gotten there? Sometimes Merlin really wondered about Arthur. Unless it had somehow inadvertently gotten there because of Merlin… He wouldn't mention it to Arthur.

Finally Merlin decided that the room was tidy enough, and so he paused in the peaceful quiet of the king's chambers to puzzle over the Morgana problem. What if he did tell Arthur that Morgana had behaved strangely toward him? He didn't have to say it in so many words, but if he could just talk to Arthur alone and mention _something. _Uther was no longer king, after all, perhaps his son would be more understanding should he learn about Morgana's true nature.

With a definite nod, Merlin decided he would try to talk to Arthur and say something-or-other about Morgana just to gauge Arthur's feelings, and then Merlin could work from there. It was as good of a plan as any.

* * *

**AN: **_What did you think? Morgana is plotting, and Merlin is attempting to plot; what do you think of their plans? How were characterizations? Please review and tell your opinions :)_


	4. Chapter 3

**AN: **_So, once again this was co-written with **Anna Davenport**, and lucky for you readers we've gotten a lot written recently, so I should be updating soon! The hurt/sad Merlin doesn't really start until next chapter, but you get kind of a first glimpse here._

_Thank you all so much for your reviews! Please keep them coming :)_

_Also, totally off topic, but for any of you Gwaine fans, Imagine Dragons just came out with a new album and I think their song Polaroid totally fits him. ANYway, on with the story! _

* * *

Merlin woke up early, immediately remembering that today he was going to talk to Arthur about Morgana. He wasn't sure yet exactly what he'd be saying, but he figured he could make it up as he went along. That tended to work out moderately well for him.

He hurried out into the hallway, glad that Gaius was currently in the lower town caring for the people after the recent measles outbreak. Merlin soon arrived at the doors to Arthur's chamber and pulled them open, expecting the king to still be fast asleep. He was shocked when he found that the king was not in bed and in fact already dressed.

"Sire!" Merlin exclaimed, staring at Arthur in shock, jaw dropped and eyes wide.

"Yes, Merlin?" Arthur replied looking up at his manservant.

"You're dressed, and awake!"

"Yes Merlin, I think to be dressed I'd have to be awake," Arthur looked back down at the letter he was reading.

"Well... I mean... How?" Merlin spluttered.

Arthur stared at his servant and said, "I can do some things on my own, you know. I am not incompetent, unlike some people I know."

Here he gave a pointed glare in Merlin's direction.

Merlin gave an indignant snort, "I am perfectly capable of doing everything on my own. I even help you do everything; make you get up, dress, write your speeches... Everything!"

Arthur rolled his eyes, before commanding Merlin to go get his breakfast.

"I thought you were not incompetent and could do things on your own?" Merlin grinned madly. Arthur frowned and prepared to yell at Merlin, however the servant turned and called back to Arthur. "I'll just go get it."

Arthur shook his head, returning to his papers.

* * *

Merlin hurried down to the kitchens to grab a plate consisting of cheese, meat, and bread, when he noticed that Gwen was also down in the kitchens.

"Hello Merlin," Gwen smiled brightly as she fell into step beside Merlin, both of them going toward the royal wing. "Heading to give Arthur breakfast?"

"Yes, he's very independent except when he's being himself," Merlin informed her. "Isn't it a little late to be getting Morgana breakfast?"

"She came in really late last night, so she woke up later. She seems to be in a good mood, though, lately. Seems to think things are turning for the better."

With a jolt, Merlin was reminded that he had to talk to Arthur about Morgana.

"Hey, I'll see you later!" Merlin told Gwen as he ran towards Arthur's chambers. Gwen waved after him, chuckling at the enthusiastic young man's antics.

* * *

Merlin burst into Arthur's chambers without knocking and ran straight into the prince, spilling food everywhere before he fell down in a heap on the floor.

"Oh, hello Arthur," Merlin glanced up at the king, who raised an eyebrow.

"Hello," he nodded down at the servant, "I was going to give you the morning off, as I am training with Gwaine, Elyan and Percival, but your chore list now includes scrubbing the floor and mucking out the stables. Go and fetch me my breakfast... Again!"

"Yeah yeah, I'll get to that at some point. Now, I've got to tell you something!"

Arthur opened his mouth to yell at Merlin for being insolent, however, he shut his mouth when he noticed that a new look came over Merlin's face.

"Now what's on your mind?" Arthur sighed seeing that Merlin really did have something important to say.

"Look I don't know how to say this but, well, Morgana and I... I mean, she told me... We are..."

"Look, Merlin, I know you have a thing for Morgana but I really don't need to know what all goes on between the two of you."

"No, you don't understand!" Merlin persisted, blushing bright red at the thought of him and Morgana doing anything together, romantic or not. "I'm loyal to you! I mean, you don't understand!"

Arthur stared at Merlin like he had two heads, "Merlin don't be too disappointed by this but I love Guinevere."

"No no, Morgana was saying something to me the other day, and it was bad!"

"Bad?" Arthur asked, looking just the slightest bit concerned, though whether that emotion was directed at Morgana or himself, Merlin was unsure.

"Yes, in the stables the other day, she was just, I mean... Well... Morgana, she said something to me and it hurt my feelings." Merlin tried to continue just as the door opened and Morgana walked into the room.

"Hello brother dear," she said in a sickenly sweet tone.

"Hello Morgana," Arthur glanced at his sister. "Merlin was just telling me about something that occurred in the stables. He said you hurt his feelings? What is it Merlin?" He noticed Merlin waving his hands to late to stop Arthur from speaking.

"Nothing..." Merlin muttered seemingly sinking into the shadows in the back of the room as Morgana's eyes turned cold.

"I hurt your feelings?" Morgana's voice was very sweet, despite her icy eyes, and it made Merlin swallow. "I'm sorry, I didn't realize reminding you of the fact that you poisoned Arthur would hurt your feelings."

"What? I didn't!"

"Oh, I'm sorry, I meant that poisoned wine you left for Arthur to drink."

"But, I mean, I didn't know that he'd drink it! No, that came out wrong," he muttered almost to himself. "I didn't mean to say that."

"You mean you knew the wine was bad? That it was poisoned?" Arthur's jaw dropped.

"No! I mean, yes but you weren't supposed to be my room! I mean, I might have known it was bad, but I only knew because Gaius wanted me to figure out if it was poisoned and it obviously was."

"So you left it for me to drink?" Arthur questioned.

"Don't blame Merlin," Morgana spoke up before Merlin had a chance. "It's not his fault he spent last night in the tavern and can't think straight. Clearly he's saying things he doesn't mean to tell you."

"So you were going to leave me thinking the whole thing was an accident?" Arthur turned to Merlin, who shook his head desperately.

"It was a mistake!" He defended. "I never meant for anyone besides Gaius and I to get anywhere near that cup."

"Of course not," Morgana nodded sympathetically. "You couldn't have guessed who'd come along and drink your poison. Though, forgive my curiosity, it does beg a question. Why were you making poison?"

"Well, I, it was for the rats and, and.."

"So you were making, not testing poison!" Arthur spoke up.

"Why was it in a cup if it was for rats?" Morgana asked.

"Well," Merlin stuttered. "I was... Uh... I was going to... to dunk bread bits in the cup and lay them out for the rats, but then I decided that the small amount of toxins in the poison wasn't enough to kill me just make me ill so I was going to drink a sip or two to see if it would work..."

"Well it certainly made Arthur sick," Morgana nodded. "Did it not, dear brother?"

"Yes it did," Arthur replied, frowning at the now slightly shaking and quite nervous servant.

"Well, brother, I would like to talk with you... Alone!" She emphasised shooting a cold glare at Merlin and grinning as he excused himself and practically ran out the door.

Merlin shut the door quickly behind himself, breathing hard as his mind raced. That had not gone according to plan whatsoever. Now instead of gaining Arthur's sympathy, Arthur was probably trusting him even less. It was time for more drastic measures since clearly Morgana was gaining the upper hand in the battle over Arthur's trust.

With that thought, Merlin rushed to talk to Gaius. He ran up the stairs to the apothecary and flung open the door.

"For heavens sake my boy!" Gaius said, placing a hand over his heart and turning to look at his ward. "What is the matter?"

Merlin started talking a mile a minute. "ArthurandMorgana wereganginguponme! Theywouldn'tstopaccusingme ofpoisoningArthuronpurpose... Iwouldn'tdothatGaius, Ireallywouldn't. Youbelieveme, don'tyou?"

Gaius placed a hand on his young ward's shoulder and said, "Slow down and say that again. I didn't understand very much of that."

Merlin repeated himself, nearly bursting into tears at the end of his question to Gaius.

"Don't you believe me?" Merlin's bottom lip trembled, and Gaius sighed, nodding his head as he awkwardly patted the boy's back.

"I did warn you that this could happen, but of course I believe you. I was there when you saved him. Now, dear boy, calm down. You say Morgana was accusing you?"

Merlin nodded pitifully, and wiped his eyes on his sleeve, sniffing loudly.

"Yes, she was saying that I poisoned Arthur! On purpose! I would never do that, Gaius," Merlin was starting to sound distressed again and Gaius quickly calmed him down.

"And you say Arthur took part in these accusations?"

"Well, sort of. He seemed to agree with Morgana, and kinda followed along with her. I didn't tell you, but yesterday she kind of, I don't know, talked harshly to me. I tried to talk to Arthur and then it all went wrong! Morgana came in and started questioning me, and I didn't know what to do!"

"Why don't you just sit down. Now, has Arthur mentioned you magic?"

"No, but Morgana said that he thought that I was magic, but then said that he was hallucinating and he didn't mean it, and I don't know what she thinks!" Merlin swallowed hard. "What do I do?"

"Only once you converse with the Great Dragon will you be able to decide."

"Oh, well gee thanks. That was plenty helpful," Merlin said sarcastically. "And I'm sure the dragon's answer will be ever so clear and demystifying!"

"You may be surprised, sometimes the Great Dragon had very important information that could unlock great secrets."

Merlin sighed and wiped at his eyes.

"I suppose I'll have to wait until tonight," Merlin told Gaius. "Hopefully nothing happens before then."

"Now, Merlin, perhaps you should go do some of your chores to get your mind off all of this. Oh and Merlin, try to stay away from Morgana."

"Well I certainly wouldn't go seek her out," Merlin swallowed.

"Sometimes I wonder if you do seek out trouble, the way it finds you. Now, be off!" Gaius told Merlin, who nodded and attempted to plaster a smile on his face before walking out into the halls.

* * *

Late that night, Merlin rose from his cot and snuck into the main room of the apothecary where Gaius was fast asleep. Merlin snuck out and creeped by Gaius' sleeping form, wincing as the wooden planks creaked and Gaius shifted slightly before settling once more.

Merlin snuck out the front gates after distracting the guards, thinking the whole way that the guards really needed more training as they were far too easy to slip past, he would have to mention that to Arthur in the morning once he got back... Then he winced remembering the way Arthur had treated him and he hurried in his journey to a large clearing he always used when calling the dragon.

"O drakon, e mala soi ftengometh tesd'hup anankes! Erkheo!" Merlin called loudly, sinking into the grass as he watched the sky for the form he knew would soon appear.

Indeed, before long, the trees began to shake and tremble with the fierce wind the dragons wings created as he flew. When he landed, it felt as if an earthquake had shook the ground.

"Why have you called me here young warlock?" The dragon questioned, in a gravelly voice. "This is far too soon after your last need of me, even for you."

Merlin laughed aloud for only a moment before his face turned grave.

"I am in dire need of you advice," Merlin quietly admitted. "It's Morgana."

"Ah, so she is still alive. I told you to kill her when you had the chance, now you suffer the consequences of your choice. You had the opportunity to do what you should have. You may be each other's undoing, if you do not take action."

"Well, it's true that she isn't making life easy... You see, Arthur drank some poison and it was kinda indirectly my fault and-"

"I know the situation," the great dragon interrupted. "What of Morgana?"

"She has been telling Arthur that I meant to poison him, on purpose! And Arthur is believing her! She's him turning against me, but he doesn't see that! I don't know what to do!"

"I can't tell you exactly what to do young warlock but know this," the great dragon paused, then continued prophetically. "Her most trusted warrior will turn and that will be your chance but beware for he will also be your downfall if you are not careful. There will be many who fit this description but only one will be able to help you." With that parting statement that dragon flew off leaving Merlin standing there shouting for the dragon to come back and explain it just a bit more please?

"Well, time to tell Gaius I was right about the advice portion of this whole little adventure," Merlin sighed as he stomped back to the castle.

* * *

Arthur tossed and turned, his mind constantly floating back to his earlier conversation with Morgana. She said that she had indeed talked to Merlin in the stables, and that she understood why Merlin be on the defensive. After all, she said that she had found out some incriminating information about the boy.

_"I mentioned how you had seen his golden eyes, and he began acting very... Unusual. I mentioned also that I had seen such eyes only when captured by Morgause, and rather than taking it lightly, he became even more defensive. He almost acted... He almost acted guilty. I'm sorry to inform you of this, but I thought you'd best know. I'm sorry, Arthur, but we must consider the option that he might be guilty of something. You saw how he acted when we questioned him about the poisoned cup. I don't want to think such things, but he could be hiding something."_

Arthur frowned. Merlin had seemed on edge, but, he reasoned, even Uther eventually crumbled under Morgana when she pushed the right buttons. He would have to speak to Merlin about it tomorrow. Then again, what if Morgana was right? The idea seemed crazy, but Merlin had been acting quite suspicious. Surely he couldn't be inspired by the aims that Morgana claimed, not clumsy kind-hearted Merlin, and yet thinking about it admittedly made Arthur uneasy...

When Merlin came in the morning, Arthur would have to be ready- for anything.

* * *

**AN: **_Please drop a line and say what you think :) Next chapter will be quite dramatic, don't you worry!_


	5. Chapter 4

**AN: **_So once again, co-written with** Anna Davenport **and originally we had a single huge chapter, but we ended up cutting it into two small chapters, and I'll probably post the other one tomorrow. _

_This is the start of the Merlin!hurt, so be prepared for that. He maybe a little OCC, but take into consideration how tense he must have felt the last few days, and what happens here just makes the dam break._

_Thanks so much to all of you who reviewed, and I thought I'd mention I've seen some people put review name recognitions at the beginnings of chapters, so maybe I'll start doing that :) Anyway, hope you enjoy and on with the story!_

* * *

Arthur purposefully got up early the next day so he could be ready for Merlin when he came in. A knock on the door surprised Arthur - Merlin never knocked - however Arthur called that the person could come in. He was shocked when it was Morgana who came in, not his bumbling servant.

"Morgana," Arthur's jaw dropped, pulling a jacket around himself. "What are you doing here?"

"I just wanted to make sure you're alright," Morgana looked concerned. "I saw Merlin earlier and…"

Morgana trailed off, staring nervously at the door, and Arthur's brow creased.

"Yes, what did you see?" Arthur demanded. "What is it?"

"Arthur, I don't know if I should tell you…" Morgana trailed off, but after a moment she continued quickly. "Arthur, I'm so worried! We both know how dangerous magic is, of course, and just now I saw Merlin and he… He…."

"He what?" Arthur frowned deeply when Morgana trailed off once more. "Tell me!''

"Arthur, he was just standing there, and then his eyes glowed golden, and then a fire started!"

"A fire?" Arthur's breath caught. "He started a fire by just… By just standing there? You mean, Merlin… No, Morgana, you must be confused, Merlin can't be magic… Can he? I mean, I suppose there have been some unusual occurrences lately..."

"I can't be sure of course but, oh Arthur I didn't know what to do! Even though I don't want to believe it, how could it be anything but magic?"

"I… I don't know," Arthur stammered, looking down at the floor, his fists clenching at his side. "I don't suppose there is any other logical explanation."

Morgana frowned, a sad look in her eyes. "I can't believe… I can't believe Merlin would betray us like this."

Arthur shook his head.

"I can't either," his eyes darkened as the seed of doubt as to where Merlin's loyalties lay grew. "I will question him when he comes in later."

"Yes, I suppose that is best," Morgana agreed. "We must discover what he plans to do to Camelot. For all we know, he could be plotting to destroy the city, or even take action against you on basis of your father. You must take whatever action is required to find out before anything terrible can occur! And Arthur, we both know that he will deny everything, but we also know that we have to find answers before this can go any further! Don't stop for anything!"

Morgana's eyes glowed golden for a moment, flashing at Arthur, who suddenly stiffened, his face becoming strict and harsh.

"I won't," Arthur vowed, determination set into his features.

Morgana gave him a grateful smile and turned toward the door, thanking Arthur as she went. She marched confidently through the halls toward a small hidden room she had discovered. There she could watch and see how the conversation went. Just before she arrived at the room, however, she spotted Merlin hurrying toward Arthur's chambers.

Catching his eye, Morgana gave a dark smirk and then turned down a hallway, leaving Merlin staring nervously after her.

* * *

For the second time in a row, Arthur was already awake when Merlin walked through the chamber doors. Merlin was surprised because today he had made a special effort to be early. As he entered, a feeling of unease washed over him. Arthur's face was far to cold and business like to be normal.

"Hello Merlin," Arthur nodded stiffly, and Merlin returned the nod as he swallowed audibly.

"Arthur..." He began but stopped when Arthur glared at him.

"I don't want to hear another word out of you unless it is yes or no to the questions I am going to ask you."

"But Arthur!" Merlin began, however his face fell when Arthur shouted at him.

"I told you, not another word!" Arthur's voice was harsh, and Merlin swallowed again, his eyes betraying his uneasy confusion and hurt. "Now, did you or did you not know that the wine was poisoned?"

"Well, I mean.. Sort of?" Merlin stammered.

Arthur took that as a yes, "Did you make the poison or was it like that already?"

"That's not a yes or no question!" Merlin pointed out, however he shrunk backwards when Arthur's glare hardened.

"Answer the question _Mer_lin!"

"Well, it was like that already when you came in!"

"Merlin that isn't an answer. Answer the question."

"Well, I might have made it," Merlin blinked and swallowed hard yet again. "But it really was for the rats!"

Arthur's face went blank and Merlin flinched back. He knew from watching Arthur fight, that Arthur showed less emotion the more angry he got.

"In a _cup_?" Arthur's voice was incredulous.

Merlin nodded silently, not trusting his voice.

"Are you insane!?" Arthur yelled to Merlin's face causing Merlin to shrink back against the wall and a single tear to trickle down his cheek.

"Next question," Arthur continued, "Do you have magic?"

"What? Why would you ask that?" Merlin whimpered.

"Does it matter? It's a simple question and a simple answer, is it not? Now, tell me!"

"I… Well I…"

"Answer the question!" Arthur shouted again when Merlin's face became the epitome of reluctance.

"You don't understand, I-" Merlin broke off, and Arthur's face became more enraged than before.

"Answer!" Arthur shouted. Merlin shook his head slightly, and then his heart dropped.

Arthur stepped forward threateningly, and then to Merlin's shock and horror, he gave Merlin a shove.

"Arthur," Merlin's hurt voice was but a whisper, and he blinked rapidly as a moist clouded over his eyes.

"Answer the question!" Arthur commanded, giving Merlin a look he had only ever seen on Uther's face. "Are you a sorcerer?"

"Um," Merlin blinked quickly, blinking back tears. "I'm not a sorcerer!"

"You are lying," Arthur stated. "I've heard from a reliable source that you have recently been practicing magic, now tell me where you leaned it!"

"I didn't! I never learned magic!"

"Stop lying!" Arthur roared, his face tomato red. "Did you learn it from a book? Did you learn it from a person? Do I need to go search through yours and Gaius's entire chambers to find my answers?"

"No, don't!" Merlin shouted before he could stop himself.

"So, there is evidence there?" Arthur's face fell for a moment, before he turned even more angry. "Have you been hiding it under Gaius's nose this entire time or did you only recently start betraying Camelot?"

"I'd never betray Camelot!" Merlin shook his head quickly.

"Fine, if not Camelot, then why me? Why would you betray me, Merlin? What were you trying to accomplish by practicing magic within the very walls of my castle? What were you trying to accomplish by making poison and allowing me to drink it!"

"Nothing, I never thought you'd-"

"Stop lying! You were making poison, and you put it in a wine goblet, just like I drink from every morning. What were you trying to accomplish by killing me?"

"I wasn't! The rats! I... I-"

"Stop lying and tell me!" Arthur shouted, and then a resounding crack echoed in Merlin's ears and his head snapped to the side. It took him several moments before he realized that Arthur had slapped him. Now Merlin began crying in earnest, and he shook his head desperately, flinching back like a kicked puppy.

"No I... I wasn't! How can you think that? Arthur please!" Merlin begged. "I would never! Arthur please!"

Tears began pouring down Merlin's cheeks as he shook his head, desperately trying to make Arthur understand.

Arthur glared at his manservant and stalked towards Merlin, a look of raw fear crossed Merlin's face and he shied away from Arthur and curled up into the corner of the room, between the armoire and the wall, shaking from the almost silent tears that shook his lithe frame. Arthur stood menacingly over Merlin, glaring down at the boy he thought to be a sorcerer.

Something was wrong with this picture, a small nagging voice in the back of Arthur's head told him and he tried to brush it off, telling himself again that it was Morgana who had told him that Merlin had magic. He trusted Morgana with his entire being, she would not mislead him. But the voice persisted, wondering why -if Merlin was a sorcerer- wasn't he defending himself? Most bandits or sorcerers, once you guessed their plan either lashed out at you or began telling you everything about their plans… So why was Merlin sitting in a corner crying like the girl Arthur always said he was?

He took a moment to look at Merlin, and what he saw made him cringe… there was his best friend -not that he would ever admit it- sitting on the floor of his room, crying his eyes out because Arthur had been too hasty.

For a moment, he wondered what to do, and then when a heart wrenching sob slipped past Merlin's tightly pressed lips and echoed through the room, Arthur instinctively knelt down in front of Merlin and after an awkward moment, he gently held his arms out.

At first Merlin attempted to back away, but Arthur just waited and after a moment, he gave a sob and allowed Arthur to pull him into a comforting embrace. Tears continued to drip down his face and soak Arthur's tunic.

"Shh," Arthur gently rubbed Merlin's back and tutted quietly, trying his best to awkwardly comfort his friend. Merlin's fingers dug into the back of Arthur's tunic and he buried his face in Arthur's neck, softly sobbing his woes away, drinking in the comfort of Arthur's arms like a man finding an oasis in a desert drinks it's water.

"You okay?" Arthur asked when Merlin's sobs had dwindled down to soft hiccups and sniffles.

"You- I don't understand!" Merlin shook his head, his eyes wide despite their swollen redness. "Why?"

"I am sorry Merlin," Arthur said, knowing full well that his apology wasn't enough but he had to try. When he'd slapped Merlin, he hadn't known that he was moving till he felt the slight sting of his palm and saw Merlin's wide, shell shocked eyes staring at him.

"I... I understand. It's okay. Things have been confusing and... and I understand, Sire," Merlin averted his eyes.

"No," Arthur said harshly, and winced as Merlin flinched back away from Arthur. "No, it is not okay. I hit you!"

"You were angry, Your Highness," Merlin sniffled. "It's understandable..."

"No, Merlin," Arthur stopped him. "I was wrong! My father always taught me to not act when I am angry..."

"And he did a fine job of showing you a good example of that didn't he?" Merlin's eyes shimmered with anger. "He struck out every day against those with magic over something that happened a score and three years ago."

"Don't talk about my father that way!" Arthur roared and didn't even flinch as Merlin backed up. "He was doing what he had to against the monsters who practice sorcery and magic." He didn't even notice when Merlin's eyes filled with tears once more at his words.

Merlin looked about ready to reply, when the warning bells rang out around the castle. Arthur glanced up quickly, before he leaped to his feet.

"Come on," he said out of instinct and then raced for the doors.

Merlin stared at Arthur's retreating form, and despite himself Merlin's chin wobbled dangerously. Still, he leaned against the wall and pushed himself to his feet, stumbling after the king and wiping tears from his cheeks. What Arthur had said about magic had hurt, but like he had always told Arthur- he was happy to be the man's servant till the day he died. So against his better judgement he ran out the door after Arthur.

* * *

Morgana screeched as she flung the shallow iron bowl away from her against the wall. Trust Merlin to be able to break her enchantment on Arthur, if only for a moment. She couldn't wait any longer. It was time to take this to the next level, and she turned her gaze skyward, shouting an incantation to call her army, men of Cenred's kingdom.

Camelot would not be ready, and finally (if Merlin did have magic) he might have to use it in front of Arthur. In fact, Morgana would make sure such an event would occur, she was ready!

Two nights ago, Morgana had met with the young but powerful sorcerer she had put in charge of the troops, and she was sure he knew what to do. He might have been reluctant at first, but Mordred no longer considered Merlin to be a hero, and Morgana had made sure that Mordred understood that this might be the only chance to get rid of the tiresome servant. Despite his resignations, something unknown had still made Mordred uneasy about the plan.

_"Are you sure his magic won't be too strong and stop our troops' advancement?" _Mordred had asked, but this statement had only made Morgana chuckle.

_Merlin, too str_ong for them? Never, she was a priestess of the old religion, and a powerful one at that. Merlin would never be more powerful than her. Even if he proved too much for her -which she doubted- Mordred would be able to help defeat the servant.

She had been teaching Mordred the same way Morgause taught her, the ways of the old religion. Besides, Mordred would be bringing along three renegade druids who had turned from the peaceful side and were ready to seek vengeance against Camelot.

Despite Mordred's earlier uneasiness against fighting Merlin and Arthur, she, along with the three other renegade druids, had been able to change the boy's mind. With Mordred and the druids on her side, she was sure to take back Camelot.

_"Be ready. When I call you, you will have to be able to lead your army into Camelot at a moment's notice," _Morgana had informed Mordred.

_"We shall be waiting at the edge of the woods. I will await your signal, and then it will only take us mere minutes to arrive."_

Now the warning bells were ringing, and Morgana's face lit up with a dark grin. Success was only minutes away, Morgana was sure.

* * *

**AN: **_So, thanks for all the previous reviews! What'd you think of this chapter? More Merlin!hurt is to come. Please review!_


	6. Chapter 5

**AN: **_Hey, so I didn't end up posting two chapters last weekend cause I ended up getting really busy... Sorry. Anyway, here's a chapter now, and I hope you enjoy it! And as usual thanks for the reviews last chapter! I changed one thing about Arthur after I posted so you might want to go back and look at the chapter again._

* * *

Mordred lead Morgana's army toward Camelot, the sounds of marching hooves heavy in the early morning air. Camelot rose into view, and Mordred took a deep breath before the called to the soldiers.

"Forward!" He shouted, and without delay, the gigantic army stormed the city. Mordred led the magic users toward the citadel. They had direct orders to find and corner both the king and his servant together, and if he knew anything about the pair, they surely wouldn't leave each other.

Mordred spotted a small group of knights standing before the gates of the citadel, but it took only a few flashes of light before the knights were flung off their feet and the heavy door was flung off its hinges. Mordred quickly recalled the layout of the castle and he lead the group of magic users into the depths of the castle.

The group encountered an uproar and it was surprisingly easy to slip by the panicked servants relatively unnoticed. One of the men with Mordred pointed to a group of knights running down the hall, and Mordred heard one mention that the king was coming this way and to clear the hall. A smile crept onto the sorcerer's face.

"I'll deal with them," the third man with Mordred spoke up quietly before he slipped away to follow the knights. Now the remaining three renegade druids crept down the hall until they spotted both the king and his servant inside the great hall rushing to get out. Mordred grinned despite himself and he hurried into the hall, followed by the other two sorcerers. They flung the door shut behind themselves.

Arthur's and Merlin's gazes snapped to see the three sorcerers grinning wickedly, and then Merlin grabbed the shocked king's arm, dragging him behind the throne as if it were some sort of protection.

With a sneer, Mordred shot a glare at his two companions, who nodded back at him. They knew what to do.

The man on Mordred's left flashed his eyes, and a beam of magic shot past the right of the throne, almost brushing the king's arm. Merlin tried to yank the king more behind the throne, however instead Arthur foolishly shot from behind his 'hiding place' and attempted to skewer one sorcerer. The sorcerer put up a shield and then, with an almost amused laugh, sent a blaze of magic at the king, who ducked behind a pillar.

Merlin watched as Arthur attempted his 'fight' against two powerful magic users at once. They seemed to be toying with him, as none of their attacks were actually hitting him but making him run around and basically tire himself out. Merlin watched as another magic user rose up and made his way slowly toward where Arthur was struggling to keep ahead of the attacks.

Merlin now recognized the third magic user as the little Druid boy, Mordred, whom they had rescued. He raised his hand and started to chant a spell that roughly translated as, "Take his heart and make it mine... Forever to serve till the day he die." Mordred only made it halfway through the spell before Merlin yelled, "_Gescildan_!" And instantly a golden shield popped up around Arthur and he looked around before seeing Merlin's eyes glowing golden. It was only for a moment, and Merlin looked quickly in the other direction, but something made Arthur's stomach uneasy. Was Morgana right after all?

Arthur's jaw dropped, however he was only allowed a moment of shock before the sorcerers changed their attack to focus on Merlin, seeing as the king was adequately shielded and unreachable.

Merlin wasn't sure he could take on more than two of them but he had to try... Arthur was very important to the future of Albion.

For a moment, Merlin considered at least attempting to keep his magic a secret and taking on one at a time, when two of the sorcerers both went large blasts of magic at the same time and he was hard pressed to throw up a quick shield, which made his eyes glow brighter than ever. He knew he couldn't risk a glance at Arthur, and so instead he attempted an offensive against the two sorcerers who seemed to be fighting most.

He threw all caution to the wind and called upon his elemental powers for lightning to strike the roof causing the ceiling to collapse on the two sorcerers. It could have been an accident. It could have not been magic, and for good measure Merlin acted shocked and once more didn't allow Arthur to see his eyes.

He heaved a sigh of relief when they didn't stir from the ground they had landed on. He now glanced over at Arthur only to see Arthur point behind him. He turned around just in time to see Mordred incant a quick spell and he felt as if two of his ribs snap. Merlin grunted in pain but focused on keeping the shield around Arthur, not even bothering to protect himself. He could faintly hear Arthur pounding on the inside of the shield and screaming his name in anger. Probably telling him he had better live so he can burn him at the stake.

"Mordred," Merlin coughed sharply. "What are you doing? Why are you attacking Camelot?"

"So we can bring magic back to Camelot!" Mordred shouted, throwing spell after spell at Merlin.

"And attacking us is the best way of doing it?" Merlin cried incredulously, artfully dodging and deflecting Mordred's spells as if they were twigs being thrown at him.

"Your precious king certainly isn't bringing back magic," Mordred smiled as he finally managed to hit Merlin with a binding spell, dropping the warlock to the ground.

"You haven't given him the chance," Merlin ground out at Mordred tightened the invisible bonds he could feel wrapped around his legs, arms and chest.

"Oh, haven't we?" Mordred spat, throwing a murderous glare at the king. "We have given him almost a year and still nothing has changed."

"And this is going to help?" Merlin yelled. "By attacking Camelot?"

"Yes because, by attacking Camelot, we can overthrow Arthur and crown our own ruler."

Merlin didn't get a chance to ask who that ruler would be, although he thought he already knew, because Mordred was already beginning to chant another spell.

Merlin gasped as he felt one of the small bones in his hands break, and he looked at Mordred with a look of saddened disbelief. "Why are you doing this?"

"I want you to feel the pain and suffering our people have felt throughout the years." Mordred growled, eyes glowing a bright molten gold.

Merlin felt it as Mordred broke more bones in his body, starting with his hand and then his arm.

Merlin thought he felt another rib break when Mordred chanted something unintelligible and Merlin zoned out from all of the pain he was experiencing.

Upon seeing that Merlin wasn't paying him any attention Mordred walked over toward the shield surrounding Arthur.

"Merlin!" He said in a sing-song tone, and when Merlin didn't answer, Mordred scowled and gave the shield surrounding Arthur a swift, but hard kick.

Merlin jerked up and gasped as Mordred kicked the shield, his heart dropping. Merlin managed to break the binding and stumble to his feet, his shallow breathing echoing in the large room. Before Mordred knew what was happening, Merlin had thrown him across the room and against the wall. As Mordred collapsed on the floor the shield surrounding Arthur wavered, flickered then slowly faded away as Merlin crumpled to the ground as well. Mordred took a deep breath, his eyes flashing at Arthur weakly, before his eyelids flickered shut.

Arthur stood in shock for a moment, surveying the scene silently, although his mind raged turmoil. Despite the battle that was outside, and despite the fact that Merlin was clearly injured, Arthur found that he could only stand frozen on the spot, mouth opening and closing like a fish.

It was some time later when the door was flung open and Gwaine burst through the door and skidded to a halt. He quickly surveyed the room, before his eyes fell on Arthur. At first he hurried over to the king, asking what was wrong, but when he got no response, he glanced around the room again. It was then that he noticed the crumpled forms in front of the throne.

Gwaine attempted to find out who they were from Arthur, but when Arthur remained unresponsive, Gwaine decided to go see who it was himself.

The closer he got to the first crumbled form, the more uneasy Gwaine became. He recognized the brown jacket and the mussed dark brown hair. He recognized the small tufts of blue tunic sticking out from where the jacket was too short, and with a strangled gasp, Gwaine fell to his knees beside the man he now recognized as his friend.

"Merlin!" Gwaine gasped. "Arthur what happened? Why aren't you over here? Merlin!"

Gwaine shook the comatose boy, before he turned angrily back to Arthur.

"Why aren't you helping him?" Gwaine yelled at the king.

"He's... He's..." Arthur seemed to struggle for breath. "I knew he was lying but this... Don't you see? Don't you understand? He's a traitor! He's just a lying traitor!"

Arthur let out something between a growl and a sob, before he stormed to his feet, pointing angrily at Merlin.

"Take him to the dungeons and lock him up in the cell my father used."

"But Arthur, that was designed specifically for sorcerers!"

"Exactly!" Arthur replied turning away from Merlin without so much as a glance at the unconscious boy.

"Say what now?" Gwaine glanced down at Merlin.

"I told you, he's a good for nothing liar! A traitor! A sorcerer!"

"What are you talking about Arthur? Merlin, a traitor?" Gwaine shook his head angrily, and glared at the young king, his fists clenched and shaking at his sides. "And besides, he would have told me if he was a sorcerer!"

"Guards!" Arthur called, his shout directed at the door. He prepared to march in that direction, however Gwaine stopped him.

"They're probably still in the lower town after fighting off the army! Arthur, tell me what happened right now or I will not be held responsible for any teeth you may realize you are missing."

"What is there to tell? Time and time again Merlin has recently been acting suspicious, and this is the last straw! Morgana was right, Merlin isn't who he seems. It matters not who he is or who he was to anyone and everyone; he will be burned at the stake in three days time, just as every other sorcerer before him who has conspired against me."

"Arthur!" Gwaine shouted in enraged shock. "How can you say that about your friend who, might I add, has brought you and the knights the best luck we have ever had! You cannot betray him like this! Even if he has magic, he has stood by your side ever since he came here even though you put him in the stocks, and give him more than enough chores for one servant who has to work with you and help Gaius at the same time. And what if he has secretly been doing magic? He is Merlin and he is the least likely person to harm Camelot. If he wanted to do that then he would have let you die one of the times he saved your life!"

"Are you saying you knew?" Arthur sounded incredulous, his face enraged.

"He didn't tell me but I have suspected ever since we started having incredible luck whenever he is around. That and he lit some of those campfires rather quickly when it was raining," Gwaine admitted. His face was humorous for a moment before his expression turned dark again. "You can just keep this quiet. No one need know besides us! He is your friend, and I believe him to be the most loyal friend I've ever met. Don't throw him in the dungeons!"

Unnoticed by the two arguing men, Merlin's eyes flickered as he began to wake up. The feeling of broken bones had dissipated. It had only been magic, he was fairly certain he didn't really have any broken bones. It was then that the sound of the heated argument met his ears.

"It matters not who he is to me or to you Gwaine, he is a sorcerer and that is a crime. I cannot let that go... Not even for Merlin. Not when he is part of the conspiracy against me, along with all of his kind."

Merlin's eyes welled up with unshed tears at Arthur's words and he glanced down at the floor sadly. Then, suddenly, he felt the pull of magic and he looked up just in time to see Mordred throw a ball of fire right at Arthur and teleport away. Merlin quickly slowed time down and redirected the ball of fire into the wall only feet away from Arthur.

Arthur spun around, staring at Merlin in shock before turning to Gwaine.

"See? It is as I told you, he is one of the many conspirators trying to take my throne from me!"

"Merlin!" Gwaine spun to Merlin, confusion taking over his gaze.

"No, it wasn't me! Mordred!" Merlin spluttered, but glancing around made it clear that Gwaine, Arthur, and Merlin were the only people in the room besides the two dead sorcerers who lay on the ground, covered in debris.

"Merlin?" Gwaine asked again, his gaze now conflicted as he glanced between the king and the sorcerer who now had tear tracks down his face. "What are you doing? Why would you-"

"Please, you must understand-"

"No, you are not permitted to speak, Sorcerer!" Arthur spat, his own eyes shining with hurt. "Guards!"

This time, two guards rushed into the room, they're faces betraying their shock when they found the king glaring hatefully at his silent servant who had a single tear dribbling down his cheek. Gwaine looked on with shock lining his face.

"Take him to the cell designed for sorcerers and restrain him!" Arthur demanded, Gwaine shaking his head silently, for once at a loss for words.

"Arthur please!" Merlin begged as the uneasy guards stepped forward and pulled Merlin's arms behind his back.

"You are not allowed to speak Sorcerer!" Arthur said, otherwise ignoring Merlin's plea.

"Gwaine!" Merlin shouted as one of the guards took a pair of handcuffs from his belt and wrested Merlin's wrists into them. His eyes held so much hope and desperation that Gwaine had to avert his gaze for a moment.

Gwaine looked on as the guards took away the person he himself had been defending only moments before. His face showed the inner conflict that suddenly seemed to tear him in two.

Merlin let out a soft sob as he was lead from the room and down the hall towards the dungeons. He didn't speak and he didn't struggle, because what was the point? Clearly Arthur had made up his mind, and even Gwaine was doubting him, what could Merlin do to change it? Still, something just seemed so _wrong _about the situation. Had Arthur meant all of that? Did he really think that his servant was plotting against Camelot? Just because he had magic?

Before long, Merlin found himself in a cell below the castle, shackles with strange markings encircling his wrists. Experimentally, Merlin attempted to use his magic, but to his horror, it seemed almost as if his magic had been wiped away and he hissed as his wrists stung for a moment.

With a sigh, he pulled his knees to his chest, buried his face in his hands and wept.

* * *

**AN: **_What did Mordred do to Arthur right as he fainted? For a hint glance back at the last chapter where Morgana and Arthur talk. Anyway, please review! _


	7. Chapter 6

**AN: **_Thank you for reviewing! Unlike last weekend, I found time to update again. :-) Hope you like it._

_Thank you to _**CHARLES CHUKU, bubzchoc, tammy henson, **and **guest **for reviews!

_Again, thank you to _**Anna Davenport, **_in this chapter, the Gwaine to my Merlin. (She wrote most of the Gwaine parts, I wrote most of the Merlin parts) :-). Just in general, she's co-writing this story with me! _

* * *

Gwaine tossed and turned in his bed that night, because no matter how hard he tried to get some sleep, his mind kept floating back to the day's events. The thought of going to the tavern to calm down crossed his mind quite a few times, but for the first time in his life, he just wasn't in the mood.

He sighed as he realized that he wasn't going to be able to get any sleep without some help. He sat up and slipped out from under the coverlet on his bed, pulled on his boots and began the trek to Gaius' chambers across to castle. Maybe the physician had a sleeping tincture that could help him. Eventually he found himself in front of the physician's door, and a pang of sadness hit him as he realised he'd really only come here when he was looking for Merlin. Now Merlin was in the dungeons, likely waiting for his soon to arrive execution...

Shaking away his dour thoughts, Gwaine decided that just this once he'd knock. After all, Gaius might want a little warning, especially considering what had occurred today. With a heavy heart, Gwaine raised his fist and knocked loudly on the door. A slight gasping cry inside reached his ears before he heard a clatter and then the old man said that he could come in.

"Hey Gaius," Gwaine greeted the old physician. He winced when he saw that the old man was abnormally pale, and his hands shook slightly.

"Hello, Gwaine," Gaius nodded once. "What brings you here at this time of night?"

"Nothing much, I can't sleep," Gwaine shrugged. "Thought you might have something for it."

Gaius nodded absentmindedly as he shuffled through some bottles.

"A lot of excitement today," Gwaine cleared his throat in the silence. "A lot of... Unexpected turns."

Gaius didn't respond, his absolute sadness clear in the way his mind seemed far away, and Gwaine found himself suddenly shuddering as the walls seemed to close and his heart beat too hard. Unable to keep up his attempt at civility, Gwaine gave a loud sigh and banged his fist the table, which made the old man jump.

"I don't understand!" Gwaine exploded. "Merlin has never been anything but loyal; why would he attack Arthur? I mean, I'd suspected for some time that he had some sort of magic, but I still can't imagine him using it to harm Arthur! It doesn't make any sense!"

Gaius looked at Gwaine in shock, "Merlin might do some things that aren't so smart but attack Arthur? He wouldn't do that."

"I saw him!" Gwaine exclaimed, then hesitated... He hadn't seen Merlin attack Arthur but he had seen the fire ball that hit the wall next to Arthur. Besides, Arthur had said that Merlin was acting oddly a lot lately. Wasn't there something Merlin had blamed the fire ball on? Mordred? Who or what was that?

"Have you ever heard of Mordred?" Gwaine asked, and Gaius looked even more shocked than before.

"Mordred? What about him?" Gaius asked quickly. "He was... is a Druid who was rescued by Arthur, Morgana and Merlin when he was young. Mordred knew who Merlin was..."

"And who is he?" Gwaine asked.

"Now?" Gaius sighed. "I have not heard anything about him for some time but... Merlin told me that was a prophecy that Mordred would at some point attempt to kill Arthur. How do you know about him?"

"Merlin said his name... When a fire ball was sent at Arthur, he blamed Mordred... You don't suppose he was here, and he was the one who tried to kill Arthur, do you?"

"I would suspect him long before Merlin." Gaius said, glancing shrewdly at Gwaine before remarking, "I would suggest you do the same."

"Do you know why Mordred wants to kill Arthur? Is it just because of his magic persecution?" Gwaine asked, his brow creased in concentration. "And another thing, how would a Druid be able to conjure up an army the size of the one that attacked Camelot? I thought generally Druids were peaceful- not the huge army type."

"There could be more to the story," Gaius fiddled with some glass jars before he handed one to Gwaine. "I was told that the men wore the crest of Cenred's, yet I had heard Cenred was vanquished."

"Indeed..." Gwaine trailed off. "I had heard that a sorcerer had taken over."

"Do you know who the sorcerer is?"

"Well," Gwaine hesitated. "A young boy, but he had the help of some unknown sorceress. I think she's remained unnamed and unknown. Do you know anything? Do you have any idea who the person is?"

"Oh, not particularly," Gaius shook his head. "I have only noticed that there had been more magic in Camelot that what I suppose Merlin might have been doing. I can't know anything, of course, but ever since Mordred was rescued, both of his rescuers have acted as if there was something more involved in their lives."

"Both?" Gwaine looked confused, before his eyes widened in realization. "Both! You mean... You mean Morgana?"

"I can't know anything for certain," Gaius repeated, however Gwaine's mind was spinning.

"Is that why Morgana is so cold now?" Gwaine questioned, looking at Gaius.

Gaius sighed, knowing that Gwaine wouldn't give it up till he got answers.

"What exactly are you asking Sir Gwaine? If you are asking if she is cold hearted because she has magic then no that is not why. Magic can be used just like any other weapon can, it depends on the user as to how it is used. Why Morgana is the way she is I do not know. Merlin did not share everything with me."

Gwaine nodded realizing that Gaius had told him all that he knew.

"Thank you for taking the time to answer my questions Gaius," He stood up and walked toward the door, stopping to glance at the old physician. "I will get him out of there Gaius, I promise."

"Do what you can," Gaius bowed his head. "But don't do anything foolish."

"'Course not," Gwaine grinned cheekily before he slipped out of the room, sleeping draft in hand.

* * *

Arthur had gathered a group of knights consisting of Elyan, Percival, Gwaine, Kay and Leon, his trusted friends and companions.

All of the knights faces were troubled and confused, except for Gwaine's as he knew what they were here to be told. They watched their king pace back and forth in front of them, not speaking even though he had called for them to come as quickly as possible.

"Why are we here?" Elyan asked after a moment or two of silence from the young king.

"You are here to be informed about a situation that has arisen," Arthur told them.

"You mean the situation where you just threw Merlin, your best friend, in jail?" Gwaine spat, unable to keep his silence anymore about the matter, and Arthur shot a enraged glare in the knight's direction.

"He can burn for all I care! He is not my servant anymore much less my friend," Arthur replied angrily before he could stop himself, his eyes holding a burning fire and hardness that the knights had never seen on the young king's face. Only Uther had housed such anger in the past, and only against magic.

"What are you two talking about?" Leon asked, "Why is Merlin in jail?"

"Because he is a sorcerer!" Arthur and Gwaine exclaimed at the same time, one of them angrily and one of them indignantly, as if he couldn't believe what the other had done.

Leon was always worried that Arthur would never see any other way than Uther in his ways against magic, that his father's teachings were too deeply ingrained into the young man. Leon had agreed that some magic was evil, like a sword it depended on the user. He had observed Merlin in the past and somehow he couldn't see the servant as being evil. Now he couldn't believe that Arthur would throw someone he joked around with everyday in prison for just being a sorcerer.

Leon was jolted out of his thoughts for a moment by raised voices.

"He saved your life!" Gwaine yelled at Arthur.

"He did no such thing," Arthur stated, eyes burning with rage and hatred. "He is a sorcerer, and they are evil."

Leon shook his head, hoping the other knights would keep the two from blows. Arthur had seemed quite close with Merlin. If he could so quickly turn against a friend based merely on his magic, Leon was worried that Arthur could turn into a harsh king, like his father.

He shook his head once again and focused once more on Gwaine and Arthur.

"Have you even seen him since you sent him down there the other day?" Gwaine spoke up. "Are you aware of his condition?"

"What condition?" Arthur frowned.

"He won't eat, he won't sleep, he just sits there, silent."

Arthur's eyes flickered and Leon decided to speak up. It would be better to still the king's actions now before he did something he'd later regret.

"Sire," Leon spoke. "Are you sure this is the right course of action?"

Again Arthur's eyes flickered, before they hardened.

"The problem of magic cannot be taken lightly. The sorcerer lied to me since I first met him, and now that he has twice made attempts on my life; I know he isn't to be trusted."

Gwaine snarled low in his throat and would have lunged at Arthur in Percival didn't lay a hand on his shoulder.

"He is going to die in there Arthur! Why don't you just burn him today if you are going to torture him like this?"

Arthur hesitated, fiddling absentmindedly with his tunic sleeve as he surveyed his loyal knights. Loyal, just like he'd always thought Merlin was. Merlin had been the first person Arthur had ever, begrudgingly, called friend. Arthur had thought he was kind, trustworthy, and sometimes even brave. He had been wrong.

Merlin had lied to him everyday of his life. In fact he had directly lied when he told Arthur he wasn't a sorcerer. He wasn't loyal, he was a traitor, and yet Arthur had twice pushed back the execution in only two day's time.

"Sire?" Percival asked quietly, and Arthur proceeded to push his chair back.

"This meeting is adjourned," Arthur muttered. "Be gone."

* * *

Gwaine sauntered down to the dungeons and over to Merlin's cell. When he arrived at the cell door he stood in the shadows for a couple of minutes before stepping forward and clearing his throat. Merlin, who sat facing the wall in the back corner of the cell, turned around slowly. He then forced a tiny smile on his face.

"Gwaine." He deadpanned, as unemotional as he had ever been in his life.

"Are you going to eat anything today?" Gwaine asked, pointing to the tray of food sitting beside Merlin.

"I'm not actually that hungry. You can have it, if you like. I know you like mushroom chowder," Merlin shrugged, picking up the bowel despite his shackled hands and bringing it over to Gwaine.

Gwaine shook his head and pushed it back into Merlin's shaking hands.

"You need to eat buddy," Gwaine pressed Merlin to eat just a few bites.

Merlin hesitated, staring hard at Gwaine, before he gingerly took a spoonful and sipped it slightly. He then gave a tiny sigh, sat down, and proceeded to ignore the food.

"Merlin," Gwaine started and quickly knelt down as close to Merlin as he could with the iron bars in the way. "What is wrong?"

Merlin shrugged and a bitter laugh that could easily be mistaken for a hiccup or tiny sob escaped his lips. Gwaine pressed harder.

"Merlin what is it?"

"What do you think?" Merlin let out that same bitter laugh again. "Despite how freezing it is down here, I don't fancy being burned at the stake."

Merlin then avoided Gwaine's eyes as he stared purposefully at the ground, once again pulling his knees to his chest as seemed to be his new habit. He shivered slightly in the dank dungeon air.

"Merlin I swear to you, I will get you out of here... Even if I have to knock Arthur out to do it," Gwaine said adamantly

Merlin shrugged, still avoiding looking at Gwaine.

"Won't that just make me look more guilty? I mean, yes, so maybe I do have magic. Maybe it's true, maybe I was wrong for not telling Arthur, but I never, ever tried to kill him! You must know that! And besides, I'm not a sorcerer like all the others he faced. I'm different," Merlin added quietly.

"Like how?" Gwaine asked, looking at Merlin in shock.

"Well," Merlin hesitated to spill his well kept secret, chewing on his lip. "I… I don't have magic, not like sorcerers. I was born with it. I didn't have any choice in the matter."

Merlin sighed and then added quietly, "You know, if I did, I would have never chosen it."

"Why not?" Gwaine asked, then thought for a moment. "Are you responsible for the times we don't get killed?"

Finally, Merlin let out something that sounded at least a little closer to a genuine giggle, and shrugged.

"Well, sometimes, maybe. It depended. I learned to only ever use it for Arthur when he was in dire peril."

"But tree branches falling on bandits... In the middle of a battle! You had to have had do something with that... And like in the tavern when you threw the plates with magic? All those times you were saving Arthur's life?" Gwaine sounded shocked.

"You saw that with the plates?" Merlin's eyes widened.

"Yeah," Gwaine shrugged, "I thought it was one of those things everyone knew about but didn't ever talk about."

"Well, clearly Arthur didn't know," Merlin sighed, his face falling once again, though his forced an obviously false smile on his face to try hide the sorrow that suddenly filled him.

Gwaine hesitated, "Did... Did anyone else?"

"Lancelot did," Merlin choked out.

"Lance knew before I did?" Gwaine looked angry, happy and sad all at the same time.

"Well, he kinda found out when I first met him. I wasn't so good at hiding it back then, and he mentioned it to me. He promised he'd never tell anyone. He never did."

"Not good at hiding it then?!" Gwaine sounded like he was trying really hard not to laugh. "You are not good at hiding it now! Arthur just isn't very observant."

"Gee thanks," Merlin let out another small and watery, but genuine laugh. "Yeah, well, his royal pratness never was the brightest apple in the bunch."

Merlin sniffled suddenly, swallowing hard and wiping his nose.

"Sorry," Merlin smiled slightly at Gwaine, a small sob escaping his lips before he sniffled again.

"That's it we are getting you out of here," Gwaine threw open the door to the cell and dragged Merlin to his feet. "You are wasting away in here."

"Where'd you get the keys?" Merlin's eyes widened as he stepped quickly away from Gwaine.

"Oh you know, like you said, his royal pratness never was the brightest apple in the bunch; I lifted them off him earlier."

Merlin stared hard at Gwaine before his eyes traveled to the open door, hope lighting his eyes for a moment, before he shook his head.

"I,,," Merlin hesitated, shaking his head a second time, his gaze down turned. "I can't. I mean…"

"Why not?" Gwaine cried. "Princess is gonna kill you in two days!"

Merlin stared back at the open door, blinking away tears as he chewed on his lip in indecision.

Gwaine noticed him about to cry and gently tilted Merlin's chin so he was looking at him. "What is wrong?"

"This will sound bizarre, but even though I know magic, and even though I never listen to Arthur, I always… I don't know... carried out his orders eventually because… Well because he was my friend, sort of. I mean, I always used magic to help him, I never wanted to hurt him! If I leave, then I obviously look guilty. If I leave, I can never come back. He can't change his mind, not that he would anyway. But if I leave, I don't even give him the chance to change his mind. If I leave, I'll feel like I've betrayed him," Merlin hesitated for a long moment, before he added something in a tiny voice."But then again, maybe he betrayed me."

"We will change his mind." Gwaine told Merlin, trying to get his friend to leave. "We will change his mind for you, but right now you must leave or I'm worried he will have you executed."

Merlin glanced at the open door and then with a deep, sad sigh he nodded.

"By the way," Merlin asked as he stepped timidly toward the door. "What happened to the actual guards?"

"I bribed them with mead." Gwaine chuckled

"Is mead your answer for everything?" Merlin asked, chuckling.

"Why change something if it's working?" Gwaine grinned. "Here, lets get those things off you."

Merlin looked confused for a moment, before he nodded in understanding and held out his wrists. Gwaine unlocked them and then winced at the slightly reddened, chaffed skin underneath. Merlin rubbed his wrists self-consciously.

"Come on," Gwaine called, pulling on Merlin's jacket to get him to hurry up.

Merlin took a deep breath before he hurried after his friend. The dungeons were quite empty, though two sleeping guards sat under the stairs.

"I thought you bribed them with mead?" Merlin raised an eyebrow.

"I did," Gwaine said, but when Merlin glared at him he added sheepishly. "And I might have told Gaius I was having trouble sleeping."

Merlin sighed, however he wasn't given much time to lament the sleeping guards because Gwaine yanked him up the stairs by the jacket.

"What, are we just walking out the front gates?" Merlin hissed to Gwaine as they headed up the stairs.

"Yup!" Gwaine said. "Well, actually we're running out the front gates."

Merlin rolled his eyes and asked why Gwaine hadn't come up with a better plan.

"Oi, I have a plan!" Gwaine said as they approached the gates, "Now run!"

As they ran Merlin was surprised to see that neither of the guards lifted a finger as they ran by.

"Who was that?" He gasped.

"Elyan and Percival." Gwaine said, "I told you I had a plan."

"Won't you all get in trouble?" Merlin frowned worriedly.

"Yeah but we won't get into that much trouble," Gwaine replied, "Arthur doesn't know who is on guard duty tonight and I am at the tavern right now."

Merlin shook his head, murmuring something about going to the tavern, before the two friends successfully slipped out of the castle and into the lower town.

They ran for some time undetected, however just as they reached the tavern, loud bells began to ring. Merlin froze and Gwaine pushed him toward the forest.

"Go!" Gwaine said.

"But, Gwaine, they'll discover you!" Merlin shook his head desperately, his eyes wide.

"Nah, no they won't," Gwaine said before pushing Merlin further forward. "Good bye and good luck!"

"Gwaine, wait! Please tell Gaius goodbye for me. Tell him I'll miss him so much. Tell him I'm sorry," Merlin called after his friend. "And tell Arthur I'm sorry too, if you ever get the chance."

Gwaine nodded before running into the tavern.

Merlin stood there for a moment, his eyes shining with sadness and appreciation, before he stumbled toward the exit out of the lower town towards the woods.

He encountered few problems, until he reached the gate. To his horror, a group of knights were heading for that exit, attempting to block it. Merlin shot a desperate look around his immediate vicinity, before a shout caught his attention. Spinning, Merlin saw a second group of knights coming up from the rear.

Merlin shook his head, to be caught now would suicide, and yet he couldn't fight the knights! As two advanced with their swords held out, Merlin backed up nervously.

"Please," he shouted. "Just let me go peacefully! Please!"

To his surprise the first group of guards ran at the second group and one of them raised his helmet.

"Go on, Merlin!" Kay called. Kay was one of the older knights who was now one of Merlin's best friends, along with all of the other knights.

Without a second thought, Merlin ran for the gate, bursting through the group of knights and rushing for the forest as fast as his legs could carry him. He heard the knights running along the road 'searching for him', however he now trusted that as long as he was careful, he wouldn't be found.

Although he reached the treeline, Merlin continued to run, panting for breath when he finally stopped and leaned against a tree, far far from the city.

He had made his choice. He had left Camelot, and he could never go back.

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**AN: **_What do you think? Please review and let me know!_


	8. Chapter 7

**AN: **_Thank you so much for all the follows on this story! Also, there were a few reviews, and thank you for those :) Thank you to **CHARLES CHUKU, bubzchoc, mersan123, **__and **detectivejigsaw **for reviewing. :) _

_Also, just wanted to say in response to a comment that this story will not have a tragic ending, though we've got quite a few chapters before we get to the ending. Merlin will come back, though, don't worry! There's light at the end of the tunnel. :)_

_Anyway, hope you enjoy this very long chapter!_

_*Written with **Anna Davenport***_

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"Next!"

Arthur sighed as yet another servant walked out of the room. He had been trying to find another manservant ever since Merlin had disappeared, all those long months ago. Arthur still hadn't figured out how Merlin had escaped from the dungeon- it seemed someone had helped him but Arthur had never found out who. He had his suspicions on who it was, but he would never find out. Maybe that was for the best though... That way Arthur wouldn't have to kill anyone for letting Merlin go. On the other hand, didn't he want Merlin dead? He was a sorcerer, a liar and a traitor to Arthur and to Camelot. Against his will, Arthur's mind brought him back to the night Merlin had escaped from his seemingly incapable dungeons...

_The night Merlin had escaped, Arthur had been pacing his chambers desperately, an all out war raging inside his mind. He was so sure he was taking the right course of action, of course he was, so why was he tempted to push back the execution yet again?_

_And beyond that, he had decided he... was more in the mood for something besides fire. Fire was... Messy. Arthur had wanted to change the type of execution to something quicker just because... Well it'd would be easier, Arthur told himself. That was the only reason, it'd be easier. The council hadn't agreed with his sentiments. They had argued that fire was the best way to be sure that the sorcerer was dead. There had been a long and strenuous council meeting about it, which finally had to be called short. Arthur hadn't been hungry at lunch time, so the meeting had continued until long after dinner hours. Finally he had allowed the council to retire for the night, no closer to achieving his aims than before the meeting had begun._

_Arthur gave a deep sigh as he paused in his pacing. Of course the council might be right. Merlin (the sorcerer, Arthur reminded himself) was a traitor. He deserved nothing less._

_A desperate knock suddenly sounded on the doors, and Arthur asked impatiently who it was._

_"Sire," an out of breath voice called. "Merl.. I mean the sorcerer! He has escaped!"_

_"Sound the bells!" Arthur threw the doors open. "Find him!"_

_Arthur had felt a sudden piercing stream of anger, and he rushed rushed from the room, grabbing his sword just in case. _

_"The knights are on their way, Sire," a servant told Arthur when he asked if anyone was currently chasing after the escapee. Arthur hesitated before nodding._

_"Good. I'm sure they'll catch him. I'll leave them to it."_

_Instead of marching out to the court yard to join the search, Arthur hurried down to the dungeons where two guards were rubbing their heads and groaning._

_"How did he escape?" Arthur spat, enraged._

_"Er..." One guard hesitated. "We're not sure."_

_"I think... Er... We were drugged or there was a sleeping spell or something. One minute we were sitting here, next minute we were waking up with splitting headaches," the other guard spoke up._

_Arthur glared at the guards, however he tactfully ignored the empty mugs that had clearly been full of mead. Instead he stalked toward the cell. The manacles were laying on the ground near the door to the cell, seemingly unlocked. Arthur's heart jumped and he checked his belt. The keys were missing!_

_"I'm going to assist the knights," Arthur told the guards. "I suggest you do the same."_

Neither Arthur nor the knights had found any trace of Merlin. Arthur placed his hands on his head and rubbed his temples. Try as he might, he couldn't find a servant that was anything like Merlin. Intolerable, clumsey, entertaining, funny… everything Merlin was! Of course, Merlin had been a terrible servant, Arthur didn't want another servant like him, but somehow every single servant who applied for the job was so _boring_! They did his every bidding without so much as a word, and they didn't talk at all! Merlin chatted Arthur's head off on a bad day, and on a good day he told Merlin to shut up multiple times an hour.

Arthur groaned as he realized he was thinking about Merlin in the present tense again. He'd been doing that more and more lately; he constantly had to remind himself of what Merlin was- a traitor and a sorcerer. Every few moments, Arthur had to reconvince himself of Merlin's treachery, and then he would remember to be angry. Still, Arthur kind of missed Merlin's never ending chatter.

Soon every would-be servant was finished being interviewed and Arthur was no closer to finding a half interesting manservant. Merlin would have called them all bootlickers. Time to go find George again. (Not that he was every any better.)

Arthur was just about to stand when the doors burst open and Gwaine swaggered in, a smallish dark haired young boy following in his wake.

"Hey princess!" Gwaine called, smiling at the frown the King gave him. "I have found you the perfect servant!"

"We will see about that," Arthur said, once again arranging himself comfortably on the throne and staring at the boy. The boy leveled his gaze, unwavering but relatively unemotional. Arthur continued. "Who is he?"

"He's my... Er, cousin from an outlying village. He has lots of good recommendations from some acquaintances of yours who you've probably forgotten by now," Gwaine laughed as if he'd told a hilariously funny joke.

"Where is he from and recommendations from whom?" Arthur glared at Gwaine.

Gwaine faltered, but kept up the charade, "He is from a town in Cenred's Lands, it had no name. I recommend him and so does…" Here he fumbled for a name, stopping short when he realized he didn't have one.

"Cenred's land?" Arthur asked, talking as if the boy wasn't standing right there. "How do I know he's to be trusted?"

"You don't, but here's one thing you can trust. Anyone from Cenred's kingdom is happy to get out, and that's a good enough reason for me to want to be your servant," the boy spoke up quickly.

"And I trust my cousin…" Gwaine added. "Arthur, please, you let me into your kingdom. Allow my cousin a place here also." Gwaine gave the king the best pleading face he could muster.

Arthur hesitated, scrutinizing the young man, before he spoke again.

"What's your name?" He asked the boy.

"Cuilén," Gwaine replied. "His name is Cuilén."

"Cuilén," Arthur sounded skeptical. "How old are you?"

"16," Cuilén spoke up before Gwaine could answer for him.

"Really?" Arthur sounded even more doubtful. The boy hardly looked 16.

Cuilén and Gwaine nodded at the same time, making Arthur doubt further, but the boy did have potential. He sounded like Merlin, acted like Merlin and even had dark hair like… No! Arthur shook himself, Merlin was gone. He was out of Arthur's life once and for all, Arthur would not subject this young boy to his expectations.

"So, are there any other reasons you want this job other than getting out of what used to be Cenred's lands?" Arthur asked, and the boy shrugged.

"I like a challenge," the boy's eyes glinted mischievously, and Arthur's eyes widened at the response.

"A challenge?" Arthur sounded somewhere in between shocked, skeptical, and humored.

"Indeed, Gwaine has told me plenty. I think it'd be fun to be your servant."

"Fun?" Arthur genuinely laughed. Cuilén shrugged. "Fine, I'll give you a chance. Granted, you'll probably be out of this kingdom by the week's end, but I suppose you deserve as much a chance as any. Gwaine, show him to the servant's chambers."

Gwaine nodded, a wide grin spreading across his face, before he clapped a hand on the boy's shoulder and lead him from the room.

Once they were out and the door closed, Cuilén gave a sigh of relief.

"How was that?" he asked. "Did I do okay? Do you really think I would make a half good servant? Are you sure I should really be trying out as a servant for the king?"

"Perfect! You did great!" Gwaine nodded encouragingly. "Just remember to be a little more than five minutes late waking Arthur up tomorrow and drop his jacket a couple of times. Don't take it to hard when he yells at you."

"I'll be good at that," Cuilén grinned lopsidedly. "Why should I be late, by the way?"

"No reason in particular, I just know you'll never be on time so might as well prepare you for what'll happen when you are. Now come on, I'll show you where you'll be sleeping for now, and then you should be introduced to Gaius. He hasn't been the same since Merlin left. I think we can trust him with your secret. "

Cuilén nodded, trailing behind Gwaine and memorizing the castle passages.

MMMM

Gaius looked up at a small knock at the door. He'd been preparing the sleeping draft that the king had recently started asking for, however Gaius was quick to hide the concoction. No one was to know that he was taking a sleeping draft. Gaius knew that the king's pride would never let him admit it.

"Come in," Gaius called, and moments later the door opened just a crack. Gwaine poked his head in the door and looked around. His gaze then landed on Gaius.

"Ah, you are here! Good," Gwaine lead a young boy into the room and presented him to Gaius proudly. The boy looked around the room with obvious awe, clearly not comprehending the idea that he was supposed to be introducing himself to the physician. He seemed much more interested in the various medicines lining the walls. Gwaine rolled his eyes before speaking up and pulling the boy from his oogling. "This is my cousin, Cuilén. He is trying out to be Arthur's new servant."

"Cuilén! Nice to meet you my boy," Gaius shook Cuilén's hand and then looked at Gwaine, "Does he need a place to stay?"

"Well now," Gwaine hesitated for a moment. "He's just received a room in the servant's quarters, but it's not lived in, and I'm sure arrangements can be changed."

"This big city life is rather new to me," Cuilén spoke up. "I came from a small group of people. Such a large place will take some getting used to. To be honest, I'm not sure I like such a big city, but I'm sure I'll come to appreciate it. I hope to find some way to fit in here, but the more people I know the more it will help, I'm sure!"

Cuilén gave a familiar cheerful smile, which made Gaius instantly like the boy.

"Well, feel welcome to come by whenever you like. Perhaps I can assist you with learning things about Camelot that Gwaine will never teach you," Gaius sent a pointed look at Gwaine, who grinned. "And I can always use a helping hand gathering herbs and the like."

"Thank you," Cuilén said sending a glare in the direction of his cousin. "I'm not sure I want to go to the tavern every night."

Gaius nodded sternly once, before a small grin crept onto his face.

"Gwaine," he turned Cuilén's cousin. "Can I speak to you after you finish showing your cousin around a bit more?"

"Sure Gaius," Gwaine nodded and left, shooing his cousin out the door.

It was about an hour later the Gwaine came back and sat down at the small table Gaius used to mix potions on. "What do you need Guias?"

Gaius gave Gwaine a pointed look, and Gwaine nodded adding an 'oh, I see'.

"Have you heard from him recently?" Gaius asked, his voice quiet. "Anything at all?"

"I wish I could tell you differently," he admitted, shaking his head. "Even with going to the tavern every night and listening to all the local gossip I haven't heard anything of him."

Gaius gave a deep sigh nodding his head. He then changed topics quickly.

"Now," Gaius's eyes held a pointed look that made Gwaine shift uneasily. Whenever Gaius looked like that, he _knew _something. "This Cuilén fellow you have brought into the castle…"

"Yeah, what about him?" Gwaine shrugged when Gaius hesitated.

"He is your cousin?" Gaius asked skeptically, and it seemed to Gwaine that if the old man stared at him any harder he'd start being able to read his mind. Merlin surely must have been better at keeping secrets. Gwaine was simply not cut out for it. When Gaius started questioning him with that upturned eyebrow, Gwaine knew he wouldn't last long.

"Uh... Yeah," Gwaine seemed less sure of himself by the second.

"Really?" Gaius sounded increasingly suspicious. "And where did you say he was from again?"

"A town in Cenred's lands," Gwaine said quickly. "A small town next to Camelot's borders. You wouldn't know of it."

"Wouldn't I?" If possible, Gaius raised his eyebrow even higher.

"No I don't think you would," Gwaine shook his head, seemingly convinced that Gaius wouldn't know where his cousin was from.

"I know many towns near Camelot's borders, actually. For example there is Oxfton, Candor, and also Ealdor," Gaius told him. Gwaine stiffened at the last name and tried extremely hard not to look surprised.

"Ah, I see. Yes, Merlin was also from Ealdor, if you didn't already know," Gaius stared hard at Gwaine, little amusement on his face. "And there is no reason to shake your head at me. Now tell me, what is young Cuilén doing here? And I don't think I have to tell you not to let Arthur know of Cuilén's origins."

Gwaine nodded and slumped over slightly. Now that his gig was up, what did he have to lose?

"Cuilén is from Ealdor," he admitted. "And, before you ask, he is my cousin; well, second cousin.

"Cuilén is also Merlin's cousin on his father's side. And before you ask, I am in fact talking about a man named Balinor," Gwaine straightened up is his seat as he continued.

"I didn't know Balinor's brother had any children, nor was I aware that you and Merlin are distant cousins!" Gaius stared at Gwaine in shock.

"It was a well kept secret. I'm not sure Merlin knows, actually. I didn't know 'till I remembered Cuilén and then did a bit of looking back," Gwaine said, grinning slightly. "Cuilén lived in Ealdor with one of the families, I forget their name, until about two and a half months ago. Their barn caught on fire and his foster parents were killed by a falling beam. He traveled for two months to get here, and found me. He didn't know Merlin or Hunith were his family and Merlin doesn't know him at all, as his family came to Ealdor after Merlin left. Hunith knows of him but not that he is family."

"Otherwise Hunith would have taken him in," Gaius said, knowing what a kind heart the woman possessed, he saw... He had seen it in his ward day after day before he left.

Gwaine nodded, "I have been allowing him to live with me, but I am not sure how much longer I can keep people from noticing. He looks so much like Merlin, some have already seen it and others will yet. Arthur already saw some similarities- I could see it from the way he looked at Cuilén."

"Perhaps that is why he has allowed Cuilén to become his new servant. Each one before has not been sufficient to Arthur, yet he has given this boy a chance."

"Cuilén is very much like Merlin in both physical and internal aspects," Gwaine admitted. "The physical you can see, but he is also very forward; not afraid to speak his opinion, and generally not worried about what people say. He won't mind Arthur's yelling at him. He is also a little clumsy, not as much as Merlin, but enough so that it's a minor inconvenience.."

Gwaine smiled as he thought of Merlin, "I hope Arthur gives Cuilén a fair chance."

"Arthur fires his new servants based on trivial complaints; I think he misses someone who he can be friends and joke with," Gaius told Gwaine. "I don't think Cuilén could ever replace Merlin, but perhaps he can bring back some joy to Arthur. I worry about a kingdom when the king is as cold as Arthur has been in these last few months. It isn't like him, and I can only hope that something soon brings back the Arthur we all used to know."

"I've seen Morgana trying to talk to Arthur a lot, but she doesn't seem to be making him feel a whole lot better…" Gwaine trailed off, and Gaius hummed noncomitedly.

"If Cuilén wishes to stay somewhere besides the servants quarters, feel free to send him here. He is certainly welcome."

"I'll tell him. I'm not sure he's entirely comfortable in Camelot yet. He's just not used to such a big city," Gwaine nodded. "Before he comes here, though, perhaps I should tell you something, since you are the castle healer…"

Gaius noticed how Gwaine's expression had turned uncharacteristically serious, and he nodded encouragingly. "Don't be afraid to speak Gwaine."

"He is a low level empath," Gwaine sighed. "I always assumed that was from Balinor's side of the family since Merlin has magic as well, and you said Balinor was Merlin's father."

"Well…" Gaius trailed off for a moment, before he nodded. "If he was to reside here, that would be indeed good for me to know. Has he always had this… ability? Does he have anything else that would make it… Unwise for him to remain as Arthur's manservant?"

"No," Gwaine chuckled, wincing at the thought. "He's a special kid, but not that special."

"I see. Well, knowing this about him, I realize that it might make it a bit hard for him reside in a place where people come when they feel poorly, but he is still free to come should he wish to. I saw how he was amazed by the remedies around the room."

"Yes, from what I can tell he does seem interested in healing, not that I'd know!" Gwaine flashed a grin. "Now, I'm headed down to the tavern!"

"Gwaine!" Gaius called Gwaine to a halt before he ran from the room. "I do think it's best you send the boy here occasionally. I think he may needs some older guidance from someone a bit more... Responsible, occasionally."

"Responsible?" Gwaine laughed. "I'm very responsible. I'm a knight and everything!"

Gaius raised an eyebrow, and Gwaine chuckled quietly.

"If Arthur doesn't keep him too busy, I'll tell him to come by tomorrow." With that, Gwaine ducked out the door and hurried to find Cuilén."

MMM

Cuilén was sitting on his cot in the servants quarters thinking about what Gwaine had told him about his new "master". In Gwaine's words (apparently taken from the king's old servant) the king was a "total prat", but had a "kind heart". Cuilén had yet to see either quality, but he figured when he began working for the king in the morning, he'd get a good dose of either one quality or the other.

Cuilén knew that this was supposed to be a hard job, as the king was rather picky. Still, how hard could it be? All he had to do was follow orders, right? All he had to do was do the king's chores, right? He'd already been doing a lot of chores at home, how different could this be?

The thought of home made tears spring to Cuilén's eyes, however a knock on the door to his room (more like his cupboard) made him quickly wipe the tears from his face and plaster on a smile. Without waiting for an invitation, Gwaine threw the door open and marched in, slamming the door behind himself.

"Gwaine," Cuilén glanced up, surprised.

"Hey cuz," Gwaine shoved Cuilén off of his bed and threw himself down instead.

"Hey!" Cuilén frowned, rubbing his back.

"Get used to it," Gwaine glared at his cousin from the bed. "Arthur is going to be using you as a training dummy half of the time."

"Oh joy! Remind me how you talked me into being the king's servant again?" Cuilén leaned against the wall, glaring at his cousin.

Gwaine smirked and chuckled lightly, "Don't worry! Just let me know if princess pushes you to far."

"Thank you," Cuilén smiled genuinely. "Considering what you keep saying about him, having you on my side might come in handy!"

Gwaine's face took on a serious look, "Don't worry, he isn't as bad as we all make him out to be. Just let Percival or myself know if he pushes you to hard."

"So, why're you here, anyway?" Cuilén asked. "Surely you didn't just come in here to throw me on the floor."

"What makes you think I didn't?" Gwaine sat up and grabbed at his cousin. "Don't you want to know what happened with Gaius?"

"What happened with Gaius?" Cuilén's face turned worried.

"Nothing much," Gwaine smiled at Cuilén, "He does know about your ability though."

"What?" Cuilén's eyes widened. "Why'd you tell him? I thought you were just kidding about telling him!"

"No, he knew a few other secrets." Gwaine explained, "He is on our side on the subject of magic. Not that you really have any."

"Really? But he works for the king! I guess the old servant did too, but still! Hey, did you say something?"

"No..." Gwaine said, looking confusedly at Cuilén.

"Are you sure? Wait, you just said my name! Didn't you?"

"Cuilén what are you talking about?"

_Cuilén, is someone in the room with you?_

Cuilén looked around quickly, pressing his hands to his ears in confusion as a voice seemed to echo in his head. The question was stated again, and Cuilén noticed that Gwaine had definitely not moved his mouth. Cuilén winced, continuing to cover his ears and suppressing a whimper of confusion.

Gwaine shook his cousin's shoulder as Cuilén covered his ears with his hands.

"What's wrong buddy?" he asked, gently pulling Cuilén's hands away from his ears.

"There's a voice, I hear it! Wait, Gwaine is with me. Gwaine, who is Merlin? He keeps saying it's him, and I hear a voice, and it's him!"

"Merlin!" Gwaine was instantly talking at Cuilén as if it was Merlin sitting there instead. "Where are you? Are you okay? Cuilén, talk to him!"

"Ow, let go of my face!" Cuilén pulled away from Gwaine who seemed to think that he would be better able to communicate with Merlin.

_Tell Gwaine to shut up then I will tell you what to tell him._

"Gwaine, be quiet!" Cuilén snapped. "Merlin won't talk until you are quiet."

Gwaine quieted down to an almost Percival like state.

_That's better, how long do you think he will stay like that? _

"Who knows?" Cuilén laughed slightly, uneasy about what was happening. "But you had better talk fast."

_True true, so you're the poor bloke that took over my job?_

"Everyone keeps saying that," Cuilén answered, shrugging at the hurt look that crossed Gwaine's face at the fact that Merlin was talking with Cuilén and not him.

_Well with his royal pratness I wonder why? Now listen, I need you to stick as close as you can to Arthur. I need to listen in case he needs help._

"How will you listen?" Cuilén asked, confused.

_Well, I can hear Gwaine can't I?_

"What is it going to be? A voice in my head all the time?"

_Pretty much. I don't have to be in your head, but unless you would like to have a troop of small animals following you talking to you, I think this is best._

"What... What part of my thoughts can you actually hear."

_All of them._

"All of them?"

_Yes, every single one of them._

Cuilén paled and Gwaine looked at him worriedly.

"Are you okay?" Gwaine asked in what was probably the softest voice he could manage.

"That is a little creepy, Merlin," Cuilén ignored Gwaine and answered Merlin instead.

_Well sorry, I can't help it. Tell Gwaine he can ask questions now although I can't guarantee that I can or that I will answer them._

"Gwaine," Cuilén said, turning to look at his cousin. "You can ask Merlin questions now."

Gwaine jumped up and asked. "Can you hear me?"

_Tell him that I can hear him, though I will have to speak through you._

Cuilén relayed the message.

"Why can't I talk with him?" Gwaine whisper-yelled.

_Tell Gwaine that if he doesn't stop yelling and start asking serious questions that he won't get anything out of me because I cannot keep this speaking connection for much longer. Listening is easy, however speaking to you will take more time for me to get used to. It takes a lot of my power. _

Gwaine quickly asked a series of questions, "Are you okay? Where are you? Why haven't you contacted us before?"

_In response to question one, I'm as okay as can be expected. There is no reason for you to spend time worrying about me. I cannot tell you where I am. And I haven't contacted you before because before now, Cuilén was not Arthur's servant. I was also unable to contact you before because I was unaware that Cuilén would be headed to Camelot. When he did arrive, I wanted to wait some time before exposing Cuilén to such an usual experience of someone talking in his head. I thought first he should get used to the city, and then learn about his ability. He and I have a connection, I have discovered. I don't know for sure the reason why, but it could be related to his empathic abilities._

"A connection?" Gwaine asked, a puzzled looked on his face.

_I am able to see his thoughts when I wish, and send him mine. Occasionally, I may feel his emotions if they are very strong, and though I cannot know for sure, if he tried he may be able to feel my emotions as well. _

"That's odd," Cuilén shivered after he told Gwaine this.

"Can you tell us how strong his abilities are? And what his potential is?" Gwaine asked.

_His powers are still developing, however if given the chance, he could have the possibility of being a very strong empath. I caution against this, however. Empathy is a dangerous art, not to just anyone, but the one the practices is. Taking on other people's emotions is both a skill, and a curse. I recommend that you use this power very little, Cuilén_. _And Gwaine, be warry. A town as big as Camelot may be difficult for one with Cuilén's abilities. Watch out for him._

Cuilén related this to Gwaine with a frown on his face.

"But what if I want to know more about my abilities?" Cuilén protested. "If I'm a... An empath like you say, why can't I learn all about it and use it beneficially? Can't I help people with it?"

_I have researched this, and I think you should suppress it. True, it could be used for a lot of good and help a lot of people, but I don't know if you understand the cost that would come with that choice. _

Cuilén frowned, however he told Gwaine to ask another question.

"Honestly tell me Merlin, how are you holding up?" Gwaine looked as serious as Cuilén had ever seen him.

Here was a long pause before Merlin answered in Cuilén's head.

_I am living a modest, but peaceful life. There is little to endanger me here, which should make you happy._

There was another even longer pause before Merlin added.

_I've had a lot of time for thinking._

"I'm sure you're happy about that." Gwaine said. "Are you enjoying not having to work night and day?"

_Well, it's a change, that's for sure. I have been doing some studying, and I have found that a dog really is a man's best friend. I took in a feral puppy, there's not much else here to keep me company. I'll probably have to let him go when he's older, he's a pretty wild little dog. I miss Gaius and the knights, though, to be honest. I hope that one day I may find a way to come home. How is Arthur? Please tell me honestly. Does he need help? Does he need anything?_

"We all miss you too Merlin," Gwaine told him. "Arthur is doing fine... I still hate him though. Cuilén was the only one who passed the requirements for becoming The Prats servant." Pride was in his voice as he told Merlin that. "Arthur misses you though, he isn't any happier about the magic and still has a sentence waiting, but deep down he misses you."

Cuilén swore he heard a sniffle from Merlin, though he could have been wrong. There was a pause, before Merlin spoke again.

_He can't look a weak king, he always said his subjects wouldn't want a weak king. Don't hate him! He probably needs your support now more than ever. Please Gwaine, just be there for him. I know you're not really the type to forgive and forget, but at least try the forgive part. Don't question him too much, it'll just make him more upset. Promise me you won't antagonize him. _

Gwaine sighed, "I won't."

When Cuilén told him that Merlin didn't believe him, Gwaine said, "Well I will try not to antagonize him. It's really hard though!"

_He did what he thought was right, what was best for his people, as he has always done. Try to understand that. You __need __to understand that. _To Cuilén, it sounded almost like Merlin was trying to convince himself as much as he was trying to convince anyone else. _Now, I need to stop this connection. I'm so sorry, but I have to go. I promise I will contact you again as soon as possible. Tell Gaius hello for me, will you? Goodbye. I miss you, Gwaine, all of you. Goodbye. I'll try to talk to you tomorrow, or at least by the end of this week. Goodbye._

"Goodbye Merlin," Gwaine's voice was quiet as he bid goodbye to his friend.

Cuilén could almost feel something withdraw from his head as all went quiet, and to his horror, Gwaine almost seemed to have tears in his eyes. Cuilén felt a rush of sadness, and he reached out to comfort Gwaine soundlessly, placing a hand on his shoulder. Gwaine nodded at his cousin, a tight smile on his face.

"Are you okay?" Cuilén asked, and Gwaine nodded, a sort of laugh escaping his lips.

"'Course I am," Gwaine grinned. "Are you?"

"He seemed so sad," Cuilén sighed, leaning back against the wall. "That whole time, his voice was really sad. You didn't hear it, so you don't know, it's just… I hope he's okay. By the way, I had a question."

"What's up?" Gwaine seemed glad for the distraction and Cuilén felt bad about the question he was about to ask.

"Yeah, so since apparently he can hear my every thought, who is Merlin, anyway?"

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**AN: **_What do you think? Cuilén will become a major character by the way, so until Merlin actually returns, perhaps you can get a bit of Merlin-ness from Gwaine's cousin. As far as what he looks like, like we said in the story he is similar to Merlin. The new cover is a picture that **Anna Davenport **and I think could be of Merlin and Cuilén. Cuilén is the one on the left with the blue scarf. _

_Please review! Thanks again for reviews last chapter :)_


	9. Chapter 8

**AN: **_Thank you to everyone who has followed, favorited, and especially reviewed so far!_

_Last chapter's reviewers were _**CHARLES CHUKU, Durin'sFolk, Steefwaterbutter, **_and_ **bubzchoc. **_Thank you for reviewing! _

_This was written with_ **Anna Davenport. **

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Cuilén stumbled into the room which Gwaine had indicated as the king's chambers only ten minutes later than he should have been there. To his relief, the king was sound asleep, the drapes closed shut against the morning sun. Smiling, Cuilén yanked open the drapes and tugged at the king's blankets.

"Time to get up!" He declared, before he ran off to get a shirt and belt ready. It was several moments before he noticed the king was still asleep, so he hurried back and shook the king awake, loudly telling him it was time he got up.

"Mmmm..." Arthur mumbled sleepily, lightly slapping away the servant's hand. "Go away Merlin."

Cuilén frowned slightly, swallowing hard. He yanked at the blankets again, and this time the king's eyes shot open. He sat there, blinking as if in shock, and then he seemed to jump back into reality.

"Oh, you're not... What was your name again? What time is it?"

"My name is Cuilén, Sire," Cuilén answered respectfully. "It has been two candle marks since the sun rose."

"No wonder I'm so hungry. Go and get me breakfast!" Arthur sat up.

"Right, food!" Cuilén nodded, and he quickly scampered towards the kitchens. He was surprised that there was already a meal sitting out for the king, and he snatched it up and hurried back toward where he thought Arthur's chambers were. Unfortunately, this time he got lost twice, however he made up for it by running when he remembered where he was. Unfortunately, he almost ran into Arthur as he rushed inside the doors, however Arthur sidestepped quickly and grabbed the tray before it could spill all over the ground.

"I'm sorry!" Cuilén spoke up before Arthur could say anything. "I don't know the castle very well yet! I got lost."

To Cuilén's surprise the king gave a sad smile.

"It's alright," Arthur said before the servant could get too upset, Merlin used to be late all the... No, he was not thinking of Merlin, Arthur told himself firmly. The boy was dead to him.

"Right, well here it is," Cuilén forced a smile. "So, um, I see you found the shirt I left, and you're dressed. Now what do I do?"

Arthur sat down at the table, ready to eat his breakfast. "Get ready to dress me for training the knights."

"Right, umm, the knights... Right," Cuilén nodded, his eyes slightly panicked. "I guess you'd need armor, right? So I'll just, uh, go find it..."

He turned toward the door, walking slowly and wondering where he'd find the armor. Maybe he could ask Gwaine, wherever Gwaine might be?

"Wait," Arthur called. "Where do you think you're going?"

"To, uh, to go get the armor?" Cuilén told the king hesitantly.

"The armor is right over there in rather plain sight," Arthur glared at the servant. "Don't think you can run off on your first day on the job!"

"Oh…" Cuilén trailed off. "Right, I see. So, armor…"

Cuilén swallowed uneasily, approaching the armour like one might approach a snake that is coiled up and ready to bite. Tentatively, he looked over everything as Arthur ate, trying to recall Gwaine's armor and how he put his on. Cuilén hadn't been paying much attention at the time, and how he wished he had. This looked more complicated than one might assume.

There, that was a helmet and it went on the head, Cuilén knew that much. That other thing, it was a breastplate, and that other one was chainmail and it went over the top of someone. The rest of the odds and ends made absolutely no sense to Cuilén, and he worried his lip nervously. All too soon, Arthur had completed his meal and he marched over to Cuilén. He stood there expectantly, staring straight ahead. Cuilén got the chainmail on him, then picked up the breastplate and stared at it intently as if answer of how to get it on the king would magically appear on the shiny armor.

"Well?" Arthur glared at impatiently Cuilén after several seconds.

"Well," Cuilén smiled lopsidedly. "I guess you can put this on now!"

"Are you crazy?" Arthur said, staring at Cuilén in disbelief. "You are going to put it on me."

"Um, well, don't you like to mix it up every once in a while? No… Right… Okay, well, let's see now," Cuilén held up the armor, approaching Arthur and staring at it intently. After several seconds, Cuilén sighed deeply and shook his head. "I'm sorry, truth is, I don't really know what I'm doing… Gwaine didn't show me how to do this, and I've never seen armor before in my life… I guess… I can call someone else in. I probably shouldn't even be your servant. I'm sorry I wasted your time like this… I'll just… Go away…"

Cuilén sighed sadly and swallowed hard, blinking rapidly and wicing at how depressing his voice sounded. What was Gwaine thinking, anyway? How could a simple village boy like him every be the servant to the king?

Arthur stared as the boy stood there, shoulders slumped, looking as if he had lost everything in the world.

"Wait," Arthur said. "It's okay... I can show you how to put my armor on."

"Really?" Cuilén turned around quickly, his face perhaps a little too hopeful. "Thank you! I'm sorry, I just haven't been shown before but I can learn really quick!"

"That's alright," Arthur said good natured-like. "I guess I'm just used to palace born servants, who know how to do everything. You and Merl..." His voice trailed off and he shook himself. "I forget you aren't palace born."

"Yeah, I'm village born," Cuilén chuckled slightly. "If you needed help in the stables or something, I might be good at that right off. These other things I'll pick up quickly though, don't worry! So, how does this work anyway?"

Arthur told Cuilén what to do, and Cuilén quickly followed the commands. Before long, Arthur was all suited up for combat.

Arthur smiled at Cuilén and said, "You've done well, have the rest of the day off."

"Really?" Cuilén sounded very surprised. "I think Gwaine must have only seen your bad side. Oh wait, maybe I shouldn't have told you that…"

"What do you mean, Gwaine must have only seen your bad side?" Arthur looked at the young boy.

"Oh, uh, nothing!" Cuilén shook his head quickly. "Gwaine just seemed to think you were probably the worst person anyone could ever be the servant of is all. He was wrong, I think… Maybe... I'll just leave now… I'm glad you're actually nice."

With that, Cuilén ducked out the door and hurried away, Arthur staring after him with an almost-smile on his face.

MMM

Cuilén smiled and hummed quietly as he walked down the hall from Arthur's chambers. Arthur wasn't so bad at all, what had everyone been making such a big deal about? Cuilén turned a corner, about to hurry to find Gwaine, when he almost bumped into a dark haired lady of the court he might have seen before. It seemed to him that Gwaine had said that her name was Morgana, but he might be wrong.

"Watch where you are going!" Morgana snapped before looking down and staring at the boy. "Who are you? I haven't seen you around here before."

"Oh, sorry!" Cuilén spoke up, as smile plastered on his face. "I'm Cuilén, Arthur's new servant. I'm Gwaine's cousin. You know Gwaine, right?"

"I do," Morgana said, with a scowl on her face.

"Yeah, well, that's how I became Arthur, I mean, the king's servant, in case you were wondering, milady," Cuilén suddenly remembered to bow, and he did quickly.

"I see," Morgana said slowly. "And where are you from, Cuilén?"

"Uh," Cuilén hesitated. "Far away. Cenred's kingdom, actually, but I am more loyal to Camelot because I think it's a very good kingdom and Gwaine has said many good things about it!"

"Are you?" Morgana raised a slender eyebrow. "Are you aware of the change in leadership in Cenred's lands? Cenred is no longer the king."

"I'm still loyal to Camelot," Cuilén replied quickly. Morgana hummed to herself.

"Well, I'll be seeing you around, _Cuilén_," Morgana's lips twisted at the name. Cuilén, feeling a strange shiver up his spine, nodded before he hurried down the hall. Morgana stared after him, before she entered Arthur's chambers.

MMMM

Arthur was sitting at his desk when Morgana knocked on his door.

"Come in!" he called.

Morgana opened the door and looking around walked toward Arthur.

"Hello brother." She said, sending an innocent smile towards her half brother.

"Morgana," Arthur greeted her.

"You have a new servant," Morgana sat down in a chair, and Arthur grinned happily.

"Yes, Cuilén. He's the first decent servant I've had since… Well you know. Not one servant could hold a candle to this one, though he certainly has some work to do before he learns the ways of the palace."

"Indeed?" Morgana asked quietly. "And how are you feeling this morning?"

"I'm doing fine." Arthur said warily, wondering what his sister wanted. "How about yourself?"

"I have felt perfectly fine, brother dear. I just thought you seemed a bit under the weather last night. You always do before trying to chose a new servant. What is it that's so good about this Cuilén anyway?"

"He is almost exactly like…" Arthur's voice trailed off. "Anyway, he is a good servant."

"I see," Morgana nodded slowly. "I heard he came from Cenred's kingdom. Is that not a sign of danger?"

"I don't believe so," Arthur said. "After all Merlin was from Ealdor, which is in Cenred's lands."

"And Merlin was a sorcerer who tried to kill you," Morgana added. "Oh, don't look so down heartened, Arthur! I am so terribly sorry about how that whole thing turned out. I just thought you should remember that you previous dealings with people from Cenred's old kingdom have not gone well."

Arthur had frowned as Morgana pointed out the similarities of Cuilén and Merlin.

"No," he protested half-heartedly, "Cuilén is different."

"Of course," Morgana's voice was sugar-coated. "Now, you were working on a speech last night, are you finished? Let me see?"

Morgana leaned toward the desk to, presumably, see the speech, however instead her eyes glowed a molten gold. Arthur's own eyes clouded over for a moment, before his expression hardened.

"Now, finish that speech, dear brother," Morgana told him.

Arthur nodded and bent over the paper, quickly starting to write once more.

Morgana smiled as slipped out of the room as quietly as she had come.

MMM

Cuilén spent the day in Gaius's chambers learning all he could about healing and medicines. Gaius quite liked the boy, and unlike Merlin, Cuilén seemed to actually enjoy anatomy. Cuilén was ready to learn about healing like Merlin had been ready to learn about magic, and Gaius appreciated the way the boy hung on his every word. Cuilén also told Gaius about his connection with Merlin, and Gaius was relieved to hear that his old ward was doing relatively alright.

"I'd try to talk to him for you, but I think only he can contact me and not the other way around. I'm sorry!"

"That's alright," Gaius assured him. "Please keep me updated on Merlin's feelings and activities if you can."

A sudden knock on the door made Cuilén jump up to answer it, and he was surprised when a guard stood outside.

"Are you Cuilén? Alright, well the king demands your presence in his chambers immediately."

"I thought I had the rest of the day off?" Cuilén protested. "Not that I mind! I'll come right now."

Cuilén quickly followed the guard down the hallway, taking a deep breath as he approached the king's chambers. After a moment, he knocked.

"Come in," Arthur called once, as another knock was heard from the direction of the door. He watched as Cuilén walked inside, glancing about nervously.

A fire was in the fireplace, but other than that only a single torch was lit. It cast strange shadows around the room at this dinner hour.

"The guard said you wanted me," Cuilén spoke up. "Do you need something?"

"I just wanted to ask you a few questions about your life," Arthur said, gesturing to a seat next to him.

Cuilén hesitated, before sitting. He waited as Arthur shuffled some papers at his desk and then met Cuilén's eye, causing him to swallow.

"Tell me about your life Cuilén, what was it like where you lived?"

"I- It was a small town, just inside Cenred's old kingdom. Most people there liked Camelot better, but they didn't want to leave."

"What was the name of the town?" Arthur asked.

"Uh, well," Cuilén laughed uneasily. "I only lived there a short while because before that my family lived in Manchesa, but we moved and then we went to this other place. It was really small, you've probably never heard of it. I only lived there for a couple months or something before there was a fire and my parents got caught in it… They died."

"I have traveled to Cenred's lands before, you know," Arthur told Cuilén. "What was the name of the town?"

"It's… Well, for a while it might have been called Ealdor but I don't really know because I didn't live there very long at all. Really, just for a couple months is all," Cuilén swallowed hard, Gwaine's words not to tell Arthur where he was from roaring in his head.

"Ealdor?" Arthur looked startled, "Are you sure?"

"No," Cuilén lied. "I'm not positive. Ealdor might have been one village over."

Arthur looked at Cuilén suspiciously. "But you were near Ealdor?"

"Maybe. I know people talked about it where I lived. I heard the name spoken," Cuilén tried hard to hide his shaking hands and control his suddenly shallow breath.

Arthur frowned, but waved Cuilen away. "Go, you are dismissed."

"You don't need anything? Dinner?" Cuilén asked.

"No!" Arthur said harshly. "I said you were dismissed."

Cuilén reeled backwards, his face a picture of shock. His eyes searched Arthur's, and then he bowed stiffly. Then without a word he fled the room, shutting the door quickly behind himself. The moment he got out into the hall, he allowed himself to pant for breath and try to get his emotions under control. It wasn't until a moment later than his eyes shot up and he noticed the guard standing there.

"I-" Cuilén hesitated. "Sorry, I guess the king doesn't want dinner tonight."

With no further explanation he hurried toward his room in the servant's quarters, hoping he could get some time alone there. He yanked the door open, ready to bury himself under the covers, however instead he found Gwaine relaxing on his bed.

"How was your first day as Arthur's servant?" Gwaine smirked up at Cuilén. His face changed when he saw Cuilén turn away quickly. "Hey, you alright?"

"I need some time alone," Cuilén's voice was muffled. "Please leave."

"You sure you don't want to talk?" Gwaine asked worried for his cousin.

"I really just want to be alone," Cuilén's voice was soft and it was clear that something had made him upset.

Gwaine sat up and walked over to Cuilén. "What's wrong?"

"You were right," Cuilén sighed, still facing the door. "It's really not going to be easy being the king's servant. At first I thought he was kind of nice, I guess I was wrong…"

"What happened?" Gwaine asked, his voice angry.

"Well, at first he was nice, he even gave me the day off. Then, tonight, a guard came and brought me to his chambers and he questioned me about my background. I tried to change the subject and tell him other things, but finally I had to kind of tell the truth, and he got so mad! It… It was like he was different person…"

Gwaine sighed. "He knows you're from Ealdor?"

"Well, possibly… But the thing is, it was weird because, he was just so nice this morning, and then tonight even before he knew where I was from, he was interrogating me like he knew something was off or something! I mean, not that it should be that big of a deal that I'm from there, anyway! I mean, not everyone in Cenred's kingdom wants to bring down Camelot! Why would it upset him so much anyway? What's he have against Ealdor?"

Gwaine hesitated, "That's where... That's where Merlin was from."

"It is? The one who Arthur was going to execute? The one who is talking in my head? That Merlin was from Ealdor?"

"Yeah, that Merlin."

"Oh..." Cuilén trailed off. "I don't remember hearing about him, he must have left for Camelot before I got to Ealdor. No wonder Arthur feels uneasy... Still, there was just something about the way he was acting! Something is going on with the king, and I just can't put my finger on what it is."

"Just try to stay out of his way when you can." Gwaine said, "And do what he asks."

"I thought you told me it was okay to be late. In fact you even told me to be a bit clumsy. You said I should try to make friends with him and not worry about the normal servant-master procedures!"

"Yeah well I have never seen Arthur the way you are describing him... Cuilén? What's wrong?"

Cuilén had grabbed his head in his hands, a pained look on his face. "My head hurts!" He said.

Gwaine grabbed his cousin by the shoulders and sat him down on the bed not knowing what else to do.

* * *

**AN: **_Okay, so Merlin (the character) will return in the next chapter, sorry about his absence here. Originally he was going to be in the chapter, but it was really long so I cut it in half, and he'll show up next chapter. _

_Please review, tell me what you think!_


	10. Chapter 9

**AN: **_Only two reviews last time, but thanks for those! Merlin is back :) _

_Written with **Anna Davenport**_

* * *

Merlin was leaning against the cool wall of his cave, listening to the sounds of crickets outside, when he decided that it'd be a good time to check in on Cuilén. Merlin closed his eyes and concentrated hard, when all of a sudden pain exploded in his head. His hands flew to his temples and he groaned softly. Merlin quickly stopped trying to communicate with Cuilén and slowly the pain receded. Suddenly feeling panicked, Merlin tried again. Was Cuilén okay? Again, his head exploded with pain when he tried to communicate with Cuilén. Frowning, Merlin grabbed the magic book he had sitting next to him and looked up the spell he was using.

Merlin frowned when he discovered that such pain might be felt if a third party was purposely blocking communication. Had someone found out about Merlin contacting Cuilén, and that person now stopping him?

Merlin flipped through the spell book trying to find a counter spell to whatever was blocking their communication.

He tried a few spells, before he found one that worked.

"Hey Cuilén." He said aloud, knowing Cuilén would hear him now. "What happened there? Are you okay?"

There was a moment of hesitation, before Merlin heard a very soft voice in his head. He asked Cuilén to repeat what he'd just said, and this time Cuilén's voice was louder.

_What was that? Why'd my head start hurting so bad? _

"I think someone knows that I'm communicating with you. I have a book about this and it says that'll happen when someone besides the two people communicating tries to stop the two people, the two people will get these really bad headaches, and we did. Do you have any idea who might know, besides Gwaine and Gaius?"

_No, but Arthur was acting really weird today. I went and saw him in the morning, and he was really nice. Then tonight he was really mean! _

"What do you mean? How so?"

_He was questioning me about my past and all kinds of things._

"Did you talk to anyone today besides Arthur, Gaius, and Gwaine?"

_Just a guard and the Lady Morgana. _

"The Lady Morgana?" Merlin's heart dropped. "You talked to the Lady Morgana?"

_Why's he making a big deal about the Lady Morgana? _Merlin heard Cuilén ask someone.

_I don't know._ Merlin heard Gwaine say from the background. _Why don't you ask him that?_

"The Lady Morgana is dangerous!" Merlin spoke up before Cuilén even got the chance to ask. "She's evil! She's been plotting against Camelot, and I can't know for sure, but she might have been part of the reason why Camelot was attacked just before I… Before I left."

_But I thought the Lady Morgana was Arthur's sister! Aren't they really close? Everyone thinks she's a hero!_

_What's he saying?_ Merlin heard Gwaine ask impatiently.

_He thinks the Lady Morgana is bad. _Cuilén told Gwaine. _But she can't be, can she?_

Merlin could practically feel Gwaine hesitating.

_I don't know Cuilén. _ Gwaine said after a minute or two of silence.

_What do you mean? She could be bad? Gwaine, tell me, please!_

_Well, she has always been cold to almost everyone, but I don't know her very well. I only know that she has a cold, almost evil, feeling surrounding her._ Gwaine explained, sounding apologetic that he was speaking about Morgana that way.

"Cuilén, listen to me," Merlin spoke up. "Morgana used to be a really good person, but she had a sister who she spent a very long time with, away from Camelot. When she came back, she had changed. No one else seems to see it, except Gaius, and besides, no one can say anything bad about her since Arthur really cares about her. Nevertheless, she is out to destroy Camelot and Arthur. You need to be really, really careful, and protect Arthur from her. I'm not joking, Cuilén, she's dangerous."

_There might be a problem protecting Arthur from her… Right now I think he kind of hates me…_

"What do you mean?" Merlin's heart banged in his ribcage. "What could have happened in a day?"

_He found out I'm from Ealdor, and he just… I don't know, he got really mad. I don't think I'll be able to protect him if he won't let me near him..._

"Cuilén, what lead to him finding out you're from Ealdor?"

_I don't know, I left his chambers right as Morgana was going in, and then that night he seemed totally different._

"You mean he seemed different after he communicated with Morgana? Has he been talking to Morgana a lot since I left?"

_I don't know…_

"Ask Gwaine!"

_Has Morgana been talking to the king a lot since Merlin left? _Cuilén spoke up.

_Only a little more than usual. But it is mostly nightly visits and she eats breakfast with him most mornings._ Gwaine said.

"Oh no," Merlin sighed, running his hands through his hair.

_What is it? Are you okay?_

"I think Morgana may have some sort of power over Arthur. Ask Gwaine when Arthur is in his worst moods."

Cuilén did, and Gwaine answered rapidly.

_Morning training._ Gwaine was quick to reply, _Training is a lot harder than usual._

"And at night?"

_He is very sullen at night._

Merlin groaned to himself and put his head in his hands. If Morgana had some kind of spell on Arthur, there was no one to help him. Cuilén couldn't do that kind of magic, and even Merlin couldn't fix something like that unless he was in the same room as Arthur or Morgana.

"You need to remain Arthur's servant," Merlin told Cuilén seriously. "Pretty much no matter the cost, you have got to remain his servant. It's crucial that you do. I can't return to Camelot, not so soon after I left. You have to stand in for me, do you understand? Please, Cuilén!"

_Well… Okay, it might be hard now that he knows where I am from._

_What is going on?_

Merlin laughed as he heard Gwaine protest.

"Does Gwaine have any suggestions for ways of staying his servant?"

_At this point he told me to lay low, do everything he tells me to, and attempt to avoid him when possible._

"Ask Gwaine if that is really most likely to work. Is that the same or different from the servants he kept firing? What made him hire you, exactly? What will he do if he sees how you've changed? Should you act different at different times of the day?"

Cuilén relayed the questions to Gwaine.

_Arthur doesn't want someone like you Merlin, he wants you to come back. He isn't going to say that out loud but I've seen the look in his eyes when Cuilén serves him... He wishes you were still here. And right now, Morgana might have done something to make him think anyone from Cenred's lands has magic or might hurt him. All I'm saying is Cuilén should be really careful, I don't want him getting hurt! _

Merlin sighed, his hand instinctively reaching over and petting the puppy he'd adopted, just like he always did these days when he was upset. He hesitated, before his nodded to himself.

"Okay, but you know I can't go back. Tell Gwaine that he knows I can't go back. Somewhere inside himself, Arthur may want me to return, but that wouldn't change my sentance. I've left, and I can't return until something drastic happens. I don't want you getting hurt either, Cuilén, but I'm so sure that Morgana is doing something to Arthur, and I don't want anything to happen to him either. I need you close to Arthur so I can monitor what's happening to him. Please, do whatever it takes to remain his servant. I don't know what that is, so I guess look to Gwaine and Gaius for help. Okay? Does Gwaine think he can instruct you in how to act?"

_I can._ Gwaine said after Cuilén relayed Merlin's message.

"Okay, and talk to Gaius a lot. Is there any way you could take up my old place in Gaius's chambers? He will have a lot good advice, and though I know it'll be hard to follow, he'll know what to do."

_I'd love to! _Cuilén declared. _I love healing and things! He told me all about anatomy today and..._

"I've heard it all Cuilén," Merlin said chuckling. "Maybe you can become his apprentice if I come back. Then I wouldn't have to."

_So you want Cuilén to move into your old chambers? And it's when you come back not if, 'cause you are coming back no matter what Arthur says. But when you do come back where will you live?_

"That'll be a long time from now," Merlin admitted sadly. "If, or when, I come back, a lot may have changed. Don't expect it to be anytime soon, Gwaine. I'm sorry, but you might as well just get used to my absence. At least we can communicate, so long as Morgana, or whoever it was, doesn't block our connection. Cuilén, avoid Morgana as much as you can. If she does know of our connection, and the fact I can break her spell, I'm worried what she'd try to do to you."

_You mean… _Cuilén seemed to swallow uneasily. _Like she'd try to get rid of me like Arthur tried to get rid of you?_

_Wait! Is this dangerous for Cuilén? Merlin? What would she do to him?_ Gwaine almost yelled.

"Cuilén, tell him there's nothing to worry about so long as you avoid her, never make any mention of me whatsoever, never tell anyone else about the fact you're related to me (apparently), never make any mention of magic, and act really subservient to her. I'm so, so sorry to ask that of you, really, truly I am, but we have no other choice. Okay? Please try to understand! Can you understand that, Cuilén? Please?"

_Okay, _Cuilén replied simply. _I'll tell him it's safe. She won't know anything about our connections, if I can do anything about it. Okay, Gwaine? I'll be safe. I'll be fine._

_Alright._ Gwaine said reluctantly. _If he gets hurt, Merlin... _Gwaine didn't finish his sentence but Merlin understood what he meant.

"Tell Gwaine it'll be okay. I'll be more careful about contacting you. If I have any sort of headache, I'll do the counter-spell to Morgana's. Be safe, Cuilén."

_I will. _Cuilén promised. _I'll talk to you later, okay?_

"Okay," Merlin sighed, and then he glumly left Cuilén's mind. His puppy whimpered quietly, and Merlin reached in his pocket, extracting a treat before he ruffled the dog's coat. Merlin shut his eyes tightly and hoped with all his might that nothing would happen to Cuilén. He hadn't really minded dangerous situations all that much, but putting someone else in a dangerous situation was different. Still, it was necessary…

Sighing, Merlin absentmindedly scratched the puppy behind the ears and tried to fall asleep.

MMM

In the morning, Cuilén woke up quickly and yanked on his clothes in a rush. It wasn't until he was dressed that he didn't know whether or not he should go wake up Arthur. Deciding that not even trying would just make him look like a terrible servant, so Cuilén ran as fast as he could until he reached Arthur's chambers. The king was still asleep, and Cuilén shut the door quietly. He took a deep breath, and then slowly approached the bed. Remembering what he'd been told, Cuilén took a deep breath and then spoke softly.

"Are you ready to get up, Sire?" Cuilén asked, hoping this was the correct way to wake up royalty. Arthur groaned and turned over.

"Would you like me to go get your breakfast, Sire? Hello? Are you awake?"

"Huh? What?" The king's eyes blinked open.

"Do you want me to get your breakfast, Sire?" Cuilén asked.

Arthur blinked rapidly then nodded, "Yes, go and get me my breakfast."

Cuilén hurried from the room, glad he hadn't been yelled at yet, and when he returned he found the king sitting up in bed.

"Here's your breakfast, Sire. I hope that it's to your satisfaction," Cuilén bowed deeply, hoping he was doing everything right, and waited for the king to give him an order to do something.

"Go get my armor. I have training in an hour." Arthur barked the order in Cuilén's general direction.

Cuilén scrambled to carry out the order, wracking his brain for how to put the armor on. Clearly Arthur wouldn't stand for him not knowing today.

"Hurry up!" Arthur called from across the room as Cuilén tried to figure out how to work the armor.

Cuilén grabbed the arm full of armor and brought it over to the table next to Arthur. Quickly, Cuilén recalled how to screw on most of it, and remembered where most of it went, however near the end he started having some trouble with the gauntlet. It seemed determined not to stay.

"What is taking so long?" Arthur snapped, glancing down at Cuilén.

"Nothing, Sire, it's just the gauntlet. This should only take a second…" Cuilén's hands fumbled for a moment, before the gauntlet fell to the ground with a crash. Cuilén winced dramatically.

Arthur watched as Cuilén picked up the fallen gauntlet.

"What is wrong with you today?" He snapped.

"I'm sorry, really, Sire," Cuilén's voice shook. "Here, it's done. I'm sorry. Oh, there goes the helmet..."

Cuilén's hands were shaking so much that the helmet fell to the ground with another crash.

Arthur turned toward Cuilén and pointed toward the door.

"Get out," he said.

"I- Yes Sire," Cuilén nodded, reaching down to pick up the helmet before he left.

"Leave it." Arthur barked, "Don't come back till you know how to put my armor on without delay."

"But, I- I mean, yes Sire," Cuilén bowed shakily, and then he ran for the door, practically leaping through it in his haste. Standing outside was the Lady Morgana, who was apparently ready to go in.

"Greetings Cuilén," she said coldly. "Is my brother in there?"

Cuilén panted for several seconds as he nodded, quickly regaining his voice.

"Yes he, he is, my lady," Cuilén bowed, struggling to keep his entire frame from shaking. "I'll get the door for you."

Pushing his shaking away, Cuilén held the door open for her, and then bowed again. She smirked at him and then sashayed into the room. She turned around quickly, though, and whispered: "Tell Merlin hello for me."

"Who? I don't- But-"

Without waiting for a response, Morgana shut the doors herself, leaving Cuilén standing in the hall, a shaking, quivering mess. After several moments of shaking his head, Cuilén turned and hurried toward Gaius's chambers. Maybe, hopefully, the old healer might have some words of advice.

MMM

Gaius was looking over a new medicine when the door banged open and Cuilén stormed in, his face an almost grey shade.

"Cuilén?" Gaius looked surprised. "What has occurred?"

"Morgana, she's evil, and she knows! She knows Merlin contacted me! He told me to be careful, and I have been, but she knows! I don't know what to do! She hasn't told Arthur, but the threat is just hanging over me! Oh yeah, and Merlin told me to move in with you..."

"Slow down!" Gaius commanded. "One thing at a time. Morgana knows you are able to communicate with Merlin? That is serious."

"What do I do?" Cuilén almost wailed.

"Well, how do you know this?"

"She told me."

"She told you?" Gaius sounded shocked. "She spoke to you of this? What were her exact words, Cuilén?"

"Uh, it was something along the lines of 'tell Merlin hello for me'."

"Yes, she knows," Gaius sighed. "Or she could be playing a very dangerous mind game. Did you react in a way that showed her if you have been communicating with him?"

Cuilén shrugged.

"Well, I believe the best course of action is to, in fact, not ignore this at this point. Instead, I think it best you ensure that she does not tell Arthur, or at least attempt such a course of action. If you ignore this, I fear that she will take action against you. I believe you should not tell her you have been communicating with Merlin, but instead try to act as if your loyalties lie elsewhere, perhaps with her and Arthur."

"How?" Cuilén asked hopefully.

"Well," Gaius hesitated. "Have you tried talking to Merlin after she told you this?"

"No," Cuilén shook his head.

"I think it best you ask him his opinion. If he has none, I will tell you mine. Now, you mentioned Merlin wanting you in move in here."

"Yeah, I talked to him yesterday, and he told me I could have his old chambers. He also said maybe I should become your new apprentice?" Cuilén looked quite hopeful, and Gaius raised an eyebrow. He sat there staring at Cuilén for a moment, before he sighed deeply and slowly shook his head.

"Cuilén, you must promise to follow through with whatever is asked of you, be it from Merlin or I, unless I think Merlin's course of action is a foolish one. You must confide in me before you follow through with anything Merlin tells you to do. Also, you must carry out all of Arthur's and Morgana's orders, alright?"

"Okay," Cuilén nodded after a moment. "I will."

Gaius looked about ready to continue, when there was a commotion at the door.

Percival burst into the small room carrying Elyan in his arms. The other knight was bleeding freely from what looked to be a sword wound.

"What happened?" Gaius stood up quickly, hurrying over and helping to lay Elyan on the table. Cuilén watched with wide eyes, his breath short.

"Accident in training." Percival explained laying Elyan down on the table.

Gaius examined the wound quickly. It looked as though a sword had punctured through the chainmail and hit the very side of Elyan's stomach.

"I need to get some medication, and then this needs to be bound quickly. Make sure he doesn't move around too much, it could open the wound more."

Cuilén stepped forward and sat down next to Elyan, a grimace on his face. Slowly, Cuilén put his hand on Elyan's shoulder, and almost immediately Elyan stopped thrashing around as much. Cuilén let out an almost silent whimper, and no one seemed to notice due to the fact Percival was helping Gaius to retrieve bandages and medicines. Cuilén closed his eyes for a moment, before Elyan let out short cry. Cuilén's eyes flew open and he was quick to hush Elyan. Gaius and Percival returned then, Gaius spreading a paste over the wound.

After the paste had been applied, Gaius told Percival to lift Elyan so that he could wrap the bandages around his stomach. Cuilén's shifted uneasily, however he kept a steady hand on Elyan's shoulder, and Elyan remained perfectly calm. After a moment, Gaius looked up at Cuilén, one eyebrow raised dramatically, however he didn't say anything until he was done tucking the bandages in.

"Alright, he must stay here to rest," Gaius told Percival. "Be careful, it seems Arthur is taking training much more seriously these days."

Percival left the room, and Gaius stared at Cuilén, who still had his hand on Elyan's shoulder.

"It's alright," Cuilén said quietly, his voice laced with something that almost sounded like pain. "Go to sleep, yes, there you go."

After a moment, Elyan's eyes blinked shut, and Cuilén retracted his hand from Elyan's shoulder. Almost immediately, Cuilén's features became more relaxed.

"Did I do alright?" Cuilén glanced up hopefully at Gaius. "Is that how to be a healer?"

Gaius stared open mouthed at Cuilén, before he sat down across from him and nodded his head slowly.

"Indeed, you do seem to possess the correct temperament for healing. Gwaine mentioned to me that you are an empath. I see now that he was correct. I have not seen someone with your particular, er, talents, for many years."

"What do you mean?" Cuilén asked.

"You felt something when you placed your hand on him, did you not?"

"Of course, didn't you?" Cuilén shrugged casually. Gaius shook his head. "No? But… But I've always been like that. Like, when people are sad, I'm sad. When people are happy, I'm happy. When someone is hurting, I have to make them better. Don't you?"

"I do strive to heal people," Gaius nodded. "However what you are describing is not standard. It is not exactly a form of magic, however it may skirt the line a little too close for comfort. Don't tell anyone else about this."

"But, but I want to heal people, more than anything!" Cuilén protested.

"Why, if it pains you to heal people?"

"Because if I don't, then they'll keep on hurting! I know that I can heal people, so I have to, you know?"

Gaius sighed deeply.

"Please, can I become your apprentice?" Cuilén begged.

"Well," Gaius looked into Cuilén's hopeful eyes, and he nodded once. "You must promise to be careful. One with your abilities must be wary of taking on more than they can handle. You must learn how to pull back. If someone is too injured, you need to know how to turn off your abilities."

"Why?" Cuilén looked shocked by this idea.

"Because, sometimes it just won't work. Sometimes it will be too much. Promise me that, Cuilén."

"Well, maybe," Cuilén sighed.

"Promise me."

"I guess I promise," Cuilén nodded slowly. "So I can stay here now?"

"Yes, alright," Gaius nodded, and a smile spread across Cuilén's face.

"Thank you! You won't regret this!" Cuilén declared happily, leaping to his feet, and Gaius smiled slightly. Cuilén continued speaking. "I'll go get my stuff! I can't wait until Gwaine finds out. Thank you Gaius!"

With that, Cuilén ran out of the room.

* * *

**AN: **_Please review and tell me what you think :) More Merlin next chapter don't worry... And Arthur won't have a magic spell over him forever, but at present it does seem to be a problem... review!_


	11. Chapter 10

**AN:** _Thanks for reviews last chapter from Durin'sFolk, guest, Mersan123, and MonkeeMania! Again this was written with Anna Davenport.__  
_

_Waring for non descriptive hurt themes near the end of the chapter. I mean, it happens, but it's not like those fics that have a big descriptive portion focused on it. This is 'on screen', but it's not very gruesome or anything._

* * *

"Keep your movements quick and unhindered," Arthur's voice rang out across the training field as he lead the morning training session. "Watch your stance Gwaine! Keep your guard up, Percival!" He shouted at the two knights from where he was sparing with Elyan. "I wish you all at least attempted to take your job as knights seriously!"

"I wish he would just shut up!" Gwaine mumbled under his breath from where he was sparing with Leon.

Leon didn't answer as Arthur had already reprimanded them for chatting earlier.

Gwaine sighed and tried to focus on what he was supposed to be doing. They had been training for almost an hour already and Arthur showed no signs of stopping anytime soon.

"Hey, Arthur!" He called once they had finished the set of drills they'd been working on. "Let us take a couple of minutes to get water and rest."

Arthur ignored him and continued to spar with Elyan ignoring the pleas of his knights.

Gwaine wasn't quite sure how it happened, but just seconds later Elyan was laying on the ground gasping in pain and Arthur was standing over him.

Leon hurried over and knelt by Elyan's side, examining him quickly.

"He needs to go to Gaius!" Arthur barked as the knights stood looking in horror.

"You... You struck him!" Gwaine spluttered angrily.

Arthur looked at Gwaine and nodded.

"The hazards of training are many. You all know what can happen."

Gwaine scowled but motioned for Percival to pick Elyan up.

"Make sure he is safe," he told his fellow knight. "I'm going to have a talk with Arthur."

The other knights left, Leon staying about longer to say, "Don't do anything rash, Gwaine."

"Don't worry," Gwaine assured him. "He will deserve everything I am going to do to him."

Leon shook his head and hurried away, fearful of being caught up in the impending argument.

Gwaine turned to Arthur angrily, his face red.

"Why do you do that?" He asked, his voice falsely calm and quiet.

Arthur glanced up from examining his sword, raising his eyebrows as if shocked by the idea of one of his knights so outwardly questioning him.

"Do what, attempt to make my men fit for battle?" Arthur's voice matched the eerie calmness of Gwaine's.

"Make everything such a..." Gwaine couldn't find the words to properly scold his king. Not that he should, but who cares? "You knew Elyan, all of us, needed a break. Why didn't you stop?"

Arthur simply rolled his eyes and stuck his sword in the ground angrily.

"You, all of you, have been sitting around, complaining, not even attempting to do well at your jobs since that sorcerer fled the dungeons. If you expect me to show any leniency whatsoever, you will stop whining and complaining or you may find that Camelot is in need of a new batch of knights."

"How can you talk about you best friend like he is just any old sorcerer?" Gwaine stared at Arthur in shock. "He may have magic, but Merlin would be the least likely person to use magic of any kind for evil." Besides Cuilén, Gwaine thought to himself.

"Are you saying that you support him?" Arthur's face slowly twisted into an enraged scowl. "Are you saying that you support magic?"

"Magic is a tool, Your Highness!" Gwaine cried, wanting to make Arthur see reason. "It is like a sword, it can be used for good or evil. Merlin is not evil!"

Arthur's eyes widened and his nostrils flared in anger.

"Never speak that way again or I will see you put in the dungeons and your cousin or whatever he is will be banished from Camelot never to return again. I almost have to wonder if the sorcerer didn't enchant you before he left!"

Gwaine stopped himself from saying whatever he was going to say.

"You wouldn't," he said, looking Arthur in the eye.

"Wouldn't I?" Arthur asked, matching Gwaine's stare.

"You can't punish Cuilén for my wrongdoings," Gwaine protested.

"I can and I will," Arthur stated. "I am the King, Gwaine, or have you forgotten that?"

"No, Sire, but I realize Merlin was mistaken; you are no different then your father," Gwaine turned on his heel and walked out of the training field.

Arthur stared after Gwaine incredulously, his mouth opening and closing in shock.

"You will not insult your former king!" Arthur shouted, completely enraged. If Gwaine heard, which he probably did, he didn't respond.

Outraged, Arthur snatched his sword from the ground and swung it at the training dummy, cutting it completely from the post.

MMM

Cuilén hurried through the halls, his mind spinning with excitement not only because he got to move in with Gaius, but also because he found out he was something special. It was sort of a nice feeling to no longer be a nobody, even if a select number of people were aware.

Cuilén turned a corner near his room, and skidded to a halt as he saw the Lady Morgana marching down the hall toward him. He really didn't want to have a run in with her, though turning around now might seem a little odd and suspicious...

"Cuilén!" She called just as he turned to go in the other direction.

"Yes, My Lady?" he asked, unable to blatantly ignore her.

"I heard you had a bit of trouble with the king this morning," Morgana sounded sympathetic, although something in her voice just made Cuilén feel uneasy and a chill traveled down his spine.

"I just forgot how to put on his armor, no big deal," Cuilén shrugged, trying to seem nonchalant.

"Really? He seemed awfully upset for such a trivial matter to be the source of the problem," Morgana continued to sound sympathetic, yet Cuilén found himself frowning and growing unreasonably worked up.

"Well, he seemed to be in a bad mood today, I don't know why. I'm rather new at my job. I don't yet know Arthur's whims," Cuilén's heart beat rapidly in his chest as her face became dark and foreboding.

"Arthur's whims? Don't you mean the king's whims? For being so new at your job, you seem to know the king rather personally."

"I, well, Gwaine had told me quite a bit about him," Cuilén's heartbeat seemed to echo in his head.

"Sir Gwaine did?" Morgana raised an eyebrow. "No wonder you are so flippant with remarks about your king."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Cuilén looked Morgana in the eye for a moment, before he quickly looked away. Merlin's words echoed in his head again, and he forced himself to reel in his emotions.

"I heard Sir Gwaine got in a fight with your king today. He almost got himself thrown in the dungeons, and you thrown out of Camelot. You and your cousin do not seem to have the best of luck with my brother. Of course if you had an inch of respect for your king, you may find less troubles thrown your way."

"Gwaine almost got put in the dungeons?" Cuilén's heart dropped.

"Indeed, similarly to Arthur's old servant."

"You mean Merl-" Cuilén cut himself off quickly, his face paling, and Morgana's face split into a calculating grin.

"You seem to know the sorcerer rather well too, considering you supposedly don't know who he is."

"I've heard his name," Cuilén replied defensively. Morgana chuckled darkly.

"I have known many guilty people in my time as the former king's ward, and I know that you are guilty of something, Cuilén. I am aware that the sorcerer has contacted you. The more you deny it, the more sure I am. That means you have magic of some kind, though I couldn't possibly know what kind, could I?"

Cuilén shook his head, his face pale, and he tried to deny what she'd just said, however she continued quickly.

"My only hope is to protect this kingdom, and the king who rules it. Should you do anything against the king, you are harming Camelot. Should you plot against me, you are not only harming the king and Camelot, but every citizen in the kingdom. Do you understand?"

"I- What?" Cuilén shook his head, his eyes wide. "I wouldn't! I'm loyal to Camelot! I wouldn't plot against the king or anything!"

"Then keep my words in mind. You plot against me, and citizens all over the kingdom will be in danger. Tell that to Merlin next time he contacts you. Tell him that the minute he makes a move, he will find that everyone in Camelot, and I mean every single person- no matter their status- will be in peril. I will not see that happen, will you?"

With that, Morgana disappeared down the hall, Cuilén pale faced as he stared after her. He looked down to see his hands were shaking, and he clasped them tightly, blinking back tears of horror and frustration. What was he supposed to do? Hands still shaking, he tore open the door to his small room and threw himself on the bed, trying to bring down his heart beat and calm himself. He gulped several breaths of air before he almost let out a sob of frustration. He wasn't cut out for this! What was he supposed to do?!

Cuilén, are you alright?

Cuilén jumped when Merlin spoke in his head, he sniffled before speaking.

"I... I'm fine," his voice shaking as he spoke.

You don't seem like you're fine.

"It's nothing," Cuilén hated the fact that his voice was rough from emotion.

Did something happen to Arthur? To Gwaine? To Gaius?

"No, everyone is fine..." Cuilén then thought better of that statement. "Well, Gwaine almost got himself thrown in the dungeons, and me banished from Camelot. But other than that we are fine."

What? How did Gwaine manage that?

"I don't know," Cuilén said. "I haven't seen Arthur or Gwaine since this morning. I got told in the hallway by Morgana..." Here his voice trailed off as he remembered what she had told him.

What is it? What about Morgana? Merlin's voice seemed to grow increasingly panicked

"She... She told me to tell you..." Cuilén started to sob again as he tried to relay Morgana's message.

Hey, it's okay, just... Just tell me in your own time, but don't take too long if it's really important.

Cuilén took a deep shuddering breath and started to talk again.

"She knows that you and I... She says that if you... If you do anything..." He was scared to tell Merlin what she had said but finally blurted it out. "She said if you do anything everyone is in peril! I don't know what to do, and I'm scared. She makes me have this weird feeling and it really really scares me. She knows you and I communicate, but not how." He paused for breath and continued to breath harshly for another minute or so, he was so frightened.

It's okay, just calm down. Merlin sounded rather worked up himself. She isn't there right now, right? You got away from her?

Cuilén nodded, the only thing he could do at the moment, and he hoped Merlin could tell.

You did, right? I think you did, I think you just told me you did, right? Cuilén?

"Yes..." Cuilén's words were a mere whisper, so soft they were almost non-existent.

Good, I'm glad. Merlin breathed a sigh of relief. Hesitating for a moment before he found it in himself to speak again. So, she knows? She knows I was able to break through her spell? Did she say anything about you having any sort of powers? Does she think you're a sorcerer? Is she going to tell Arthur?

"She knows I have magic of some kind," Cuilén said, face paling. "What is she going to do to me? Merlin, what is going to happen?"

I don't know! Merlin cried. I'm so sorry for ever contacting you. Hopefully, if she threatened you, that means she won't do anything unless you or I make a move, right?

"I don't know!" Cuilén was worried. "Aren't you suppose to know what is going to happen? You know everything else."

Merlin seemed to laugh, though Cuilén wasn't sure. There was a pause before Merlin spoke again.

I'm sorry, I shouldn't have gotten you involved. I just… I needed some way to keep track of Arthur! She's plotting against him, I just know it! I don't think she'll do anything, I hope. Just please, don't do anything that could set her off. Don't do anything suspicious, and tell Gwaine not to get himself thrown in the dungeon or… I don't know what Morgana would do, but I don't like to think about it.

"Al... Alright." Cuilén stammered, "I will try, but she seems to find me! I don't know what to do then."

Well, I mean, are you still Arthur's servant? He hasn't fired you yet?

"No... I don't think so." Cuilén answered, then added as an after thought, "Unless Gwaine got me fired."

You need to tell him to keep his temper under control! From what you've told me, Arthur may not be in his right mind. Morgana may be doing something to him, and I fear the repercussions of angering him.

"Yeah, I mean he almost killed Elyan today." Cuilén said.

He what?!

"Percival brought Elyan in earlier and he had been stabbed. He said it was an accident in training and only Arthur had a sharpened sword on him this morning. Everyone else had dull blades."

I leave and Camelot begins to self destruct. Merlin groaned. And I thought I was clumsy and didn't help Camelot that much!

"Obviously you do!" Cuilén said. "I don't really know what to think of Camelot. Gwaine said it was somewhat peaceful when he brought me here. Must have been because of you."

Well, Merlin laughed slightly. I don't think I particularly made Camelot peaceful, but maybe without me Arthur just makes it violent, not to mention... Well you know who she is. Look, I need you to make sure Gwaine understands the circumstances, and I need you to tell him that I may not contact you for some time. Listen, I will be around, and if you get really upset again, I'll contact you, but I am going to refrain from contacting you about trivial matters. I just know that having contact with Camelot could result in Morgana taking action. Please, don't argue with me about this. It's hard enough for me to do this without having you argue with me. My only request, could you go to Gaius soon? I just... I'd like to talk to him before I shut myself off from my old life. Could you please do that for me?

"When?" Cuilén asked.

As soon as you can. The… The quicker I shut myself off, the better, I think.

"I can go now," Cuilén said, "I was going to grab my stuff first but I can run up there real quick."

Well, I mean, whatever is convenient. I just… I just want to tell him goodbye if I don't talk to him again in a long time. Tell Gwaine goodbye for me as well.

Cuilén was already on his way and most of the way there, a second later he burst through the door and said, "I'm here."

"You didn't bring your things," Gaius glanced up at Cuilén.

"Nope, Merlin wants to talk to you, just say what you want and he will hear you and I will tell you what he says," Cuilén said.

"Merlin?" Gaius looked shocked, and yet a glimmer of happiness shone in his eyes. "He can hear what I am saying?"

Tell him yes.

Cuilén relayed the message to Gaius, who looked quite impressed by this occurrence. Elyan was still unconscious, however Gaius lead them into Merlin's old room just in case.

"How is he?" Gaius asked after a moment of silence.

I'm doing alright, tell him I miss him. Tell him I have a puppy who keeps me company.

"I miss you as well my boy, tell me... Have you heard what is going on here?" Gaius's eyes lit up as he heard the news from his ward.

Cuilén been keeping me fairly informed. I heard that Arthur is behaving… Uncharacteristically, and that he harmed Elyan. Gaius, I'm worried that it could be because of Morgana. I think… I mean, I can't know for sure, but she might be enchanting him. What do you think?

"I believe so too," Gaius said. "I was hoping you would have some way of stopping her."

Not from afar. I can't know what kind of enchantment she's doing, and even I can't do such a long distance thing. And, although I considered sneaking back, I can't now. There's too much at stake. That's why I'm contacting you now. For a long time I'm going to… I have to shut myself off from Camelot. I'm sorry, Gaius.

Gaius sighed but knew it was for the best, "Just... How long do you think it will take?"

Well… Morgana told Cuilén that… She said if I show any sign of action, she will harm everyone in Camelot. I can't do anything without putting everyone in danger. She's watching closely to see if anyone is going to challenge her authority. We're stuck, Gaius, and I just don't know what to do! Sorry Cuilén, by the way, if I'm sounding a bit hopeless...

"That's alright," Cuilén said, a forced smile on his face. "I don't think the situation could be much more hopeless than it already is."

Gaius looked shocked at this new information, and he cleared his throat as he quickly tried to think of what to tell Merlin.

"Have you contacted the Great Dragon yet?" he asked Merlin.

Well… Every time I contact the dragon about Morgana I get a long reprimanding about how I should have killed her and all of that. I don't really learn anything new except that I made pretty much every wrong decision there was to make. Besides, Morgana might find out and think I was making a move and then start harming Camelot!

"Wait, there's a dragon involved?" Cuilén spoke up. "When did a dragon get involved?"

There's a dragon that I sometimes ask for help. He really isn't very helpful though. I can't ask him this time. Tell Gaius, I hope he understands. We're just at a standstill. Does Gaius have any more questions?

Cuilén looked at Gaius, "Merlin says he can't ask the dragon this time. Do you have anything else to say?"

"Merlin what do you mean you can't ask the dragon?" Gaius said, confused as Merlin had control of the dragon.

If I do, Morgana might think I'm preparing to attack her or something. She probably has some magical way of knowing, otherwise she wouldn't know about my contacting someone here, right? I just think it's too dangerous. You understand, don't you? I'm sorry Gaius, really.

"Of course I do," Gaius said. "Just take care of yourself, Merlin."

I will. I miss you Gaius, a lot. I hope you're okay. Take care of Cuilén the same way you took care of me, okay?

"I will," Gaius promised. "I miss you as well."

Goodbye Cuilén. Be careful, okay?

"Goodbye, Merlin. Don't worry, I will be," Cuilén told Merlin, and then he seemed to feel the warlock disappear from his mind. He turned to Gaius with a sigh. "So, I guess I'll go get my stuff?"

"Indeed," Gaius nodded, his voice seeming choked. "Best run along."

With that, Cuilén hurried to gather his things from his room.

MMMM

It was a year later, and Cuilén had turned 17 years old, the next time Cuilén heard anything about Merlin. Not because Merlin contacted him, but because Gwaine said he had seen him in town. Mind you Gwaine was drunk and Cuilén wasn't sure he believed him, but it could have happened. Cuilén also happened to be in the palace dungeons at the time, so he couldn't go out and verify what Gwaine said either. Unfortunately, since he was stuck down there, he didn't get to find out that half the castle was aware of Merlin's return until his least favorite person in the world came and casually questioned him about the entire situation, which he would never had known anything about if it hadn't been for Gwaine. In fact, Merlin would have probably never made a reappearance if it wasn't for Gwaine. (Despite the fact that it was Cuilén in the dungeons, it was really entirely Gwaine's fault.) It all began when the knight forget that he was supposed to hide his bad temper...

MMM

Gwaine seriously hated Arthur right now. He didn't know why Arthur insisted on continuing to beat the knights to a pulp on the training field. Yet beat them to a pulp the king did...

Also the non-stop missions, patrols and hunts for magic were getting pretty annoying. Arthur was becoming more and more like his father every day. Gwaine had tried first gently, then much less so, to get Arthur to let up. This time, Arthur had gone too far.

"Arthur!" He shouted, as he closed in on his prey.

Arthur spun, at first looking questioning, however he was quick to grab his sword and meet Gwaine's when Gwaine aimed a blow at his head.

"What do you think you're doing?" Arthur's eyes were wide.

"I put up with it before," Gwaine said as he rained blow after blow onto Arthur. "Now I'm done with it."

"What are you talking about?" Arthur blocked each blow, swallowing uneasily. "I could have your head for this!"

"That's what I mean! You are nothing like the king I pledged to serve."

"I am your king nevertheless, and you will stop this ridiculous display this instant! If you so want to kill me, I deserve a reason why."

"Because you are turning into your father," Gwaine said. "Hunting and condemning innocent people for something they might not have control over! Like Merl..." His words were cut off as Arthur landed a blow against his shoulder.

"You question your king's decisions?" Arthur asked, looking at Gwaine on the ground. "And don't say his name again."

"I saw some reason in what you were doing until you killed that young girl," Gwaine shouted from the ground. "She did nothing, she wasn't even part of the Druid camp. They had found her in the forest, lost. But you killed the girl and the Druid who brought her back!"

"They were invading our territory! We cannot let just anyone wander about as they please! They could have taught her magic and been using her to spy on us."

"Why wouldn't they send a boy Cuilén's age to pose as a squire then? Or a girl to be a maid servant? But not a three year old," Gwaine was furious with the king he thought was different but turned out to be the same as every other noble Gwaine had met.

"The laws of Camelot must be enforced or there will never be any order!"

"She was but a toddler!" Gwaine said in a sudden fit of anger he reared up and punched Arthur in the face, knocking the king back.

Arthur's eyes widened, and his hand flew to his mouth where they found a trickle of blood. His eyes grew cold, and he spoke in the calm, terrifying voice that Gwaine had learned to despise.

"I am the king and you will respect my decisions. I will have you thrown in the dungeons. Guards!" Two guards rounded the corner, their faces paling at the sight in front of them.

"Do whatever you like to me Queeny," Gwaine mocked. "I resign as a knight of the round table. I have no wish to serve under your twisted reign anymore!"

"Stop," Arthur commanded the guards, his eyes locked on Gwaine's. "Let him go. Find his cousin, Cuilén. He is to be put in the dungeon."

"No, don't you touch him!" Gwaine looked horrified. He struggled to get closer to Arthur again, angrier now that Cuilén was the one in trouble.

"Until you learn to respect your king, I will punish you in the only way that seems to make you understand. I am the king of this kingdom, and you have no power over what I do."

Gwaine's face fell as the guards went off to grab Cuilén, and he cast a dark look at Arthur.

"I don't know what happened to you Arthur, but Merlin may not have had the smartest idea when he got out of here. It looks like you need him more then you could ever imagine," Gwaine turned and walked away, shoulders slumped not willing to push anymore with Cuilén in danger.

MMMM

Morgana stood above the courtyard watching the guards go off to find that serving boy. It was all working out better than she could imagine. For many months now, she'd been worried about Cuilén saying something to Arthur or making a move against her. Finally, Arthur was taking a step he should have long ago.

A few minutes later, the door opened, and Arthur stormed in angrily.

"Whatever is the matter brother dear?" Morgana rushed to Arthur's side.

"Gwaine is being absurd again," Arthur said, complaining although he would never admit it.

"Oh dear, are you alright? You're terribly out of breath, perhaps it's best you sit down?"

Morgana lead Arthur to chair, where he sat and tried to catch his breath.

"He was talking about something I did and... Well..."

Arthur hesitated, and immediately Morgana's eyes flashed golden.

"Yes?" She asked him anxiously. His face hardened and he frowned deeply.

"It was nothing," Arthur said, his eyes slightly glazed over, not enough that you would notice but still it was there. "It didn't bother me."

He turned and walked out of the room silently and Morgana smirked as she stared at his retreating figure. This whole time he persecuted Druids for sorcery (only the ones who Morgana knew still believed in Emrys) and yet magic existed at the heart of Camelot itself. In fact, it has existed inside the king for over a year, and he had no idea.

Yes, many questioned the vast changes in the king at first, but soon people learned that to question either the king or his sister was a crime easily punishable. Gwaine had become an increasingly annoying problem, however it seemed he'd finally gone too far.

Cuilén, on the other hand, seemed to have practically disappeared into the shadows. He never stepped out of line, and he had never given anyone any reason to throw him in the dungeons. It had been a problem that constantly plagued Morgana at first, however he had ceased contacting Merlin, and eventually she grew relaxed. He knew better than to try and stop her, and now he would not be troubling her again.

Gwaine's anger had finally gotten the better of him, and it had worked out swimmingly.

She smirked then walked out of her room to go down to the dungeons. She had a servant to interrogate.

MMMM

Cuilén had been looking forward to his afternoon off; he had no chores to do all afternoon and Gaius was taking care of people in the lower town. Normally he assisted Gaius these days, however today Gaius told him he was going to stay home and get a break. It had been a while since his last one. Cuilén was lying on his bed when three guards burst into his room startling him to no end.

"What? What're you doing?" Cuilén stuttered, trying to pull away as the guards grabbed his arms.

"You are under arrest," the guard said. "Please follow us down to the dungeon."

"What? Why? Wait! What did I do?" Cuilén cried as the guards yanked him to his feet. "Stop! What's going on?"

The guards offered no explanation as they yanked him roughly toward the door. Cuilén tried to resist for a moment, however one of the guards simply yanked him toward the door once again, jarring his shoulder. Cuilén scrambled to get his footing and walk between the guards.

They forced him down the steep stairs to the cells below Camelot, and walked him through the near cave darkness to the furthest cell from the door. It was pitch black besides the guards torches and Cuilén tripped several times. When they arrived, one of the guards yanked the door open and tossed Cuilén inside, slamming the door behind him.

The three guards marched away, bringing the torch with them, and Cuilén was left in the seemingly never ending blackness. The only sound besides their retreating footsteps was his heart, which beat loudly as blood seemed to rush in his ears.

Cuilén tried to breath deeply, however he suddenly felt more panicked than he'd ever been before.

He sat down on the floor of the cell and pulled his knees as close as he could to his chest. He felt as if the darkness was closing in on him as he sat there. His breathing picked up and soon he was hyperventilating.

Cuilén! What's happening? What is it? Where are you? Ow!

Cuilén winced as pain shot through his head, however he was surprised to hear a voice which he was sure he hadn't heard for a year.

"Merlin! They put me the dungeon and I don't know why! Are you there? Merl-" his voice cut off as his headache became far worse than it had been a year ago.

Cuilén grasped his head in his hands and gasped in pain. He didn't understand what was going on and why they had been cut off so abruptly.

"Merlin?" he asked, and when he didn't receive an answer, tears began to trickle down his cheeks. He sat there for a moment in the dark, before the door to his cell opened and he blinked as a torch was brought in followed by the person he least wanted to see.

"Morgana!" He pressed himself against the wall, and she frowned deeply.

"Merlin?" She raised an eyebrow. "I know I heard you say his name. You weren't trying to communicate with him, though, of course; were you? On the other hand, you did just get yourself thrown in the dungeons."

"Why am I here?" Cuilén asked. "I haven't done anything!"

"Don't you know why you're here? My brother is a fair and just king, is he not? He would not put you here unless you had committed a grievous crime."

"I don't know why I'm here," Cuilén said, looking up at Morgana.

"No one has told you? Oh dear, that must have been frightening!" She widened her eyes in mock surprise. "Well, your dear cousin had the nerve of questioning his king, and the problem had to be dealt with. We would have let you go, or course, except just now you were attempting sorcery... What's worse, you attempting to contact the biggest enemy this kingdom has faced! Do you deny that you were calling his name?"

Cuilén sat there in shock, she had heard him! He was even more frightened, would she go to Arthur?

"What are you going to do to me?" He asked, his voice trembling as he imagined what she would do to him.

"That is for the king to decide, not me. However you can be sure that I will act in the kingdom's best interests, as I always do," the way that she proclaimed that she'd be acting in the kingdom's best interests sent a shiver down Cuilén's spine. This was acting in the kingdom's best interests? "Now, I think it best I inform the king of your treachery."

"I didn't do anything!" Cuilén protested. "What would you tell him?"

"That you were attempting to conspire with the sorcerer who tried to murder His Highness! You did not deny it."

"But... I mean..." Cuilén stammered, however Morgana simply smirked and stepped out of the cell, slamming the door. Cuilén was once again plunged into darkness, and he had to bite his lips to suppress a tiny whimper. He tried to contact Merlin one more time, however he had to squeeze his eyes shut against a blinding pain, and he gave up trying to contact the warlock.

Keeping his eyes shut, Cuilén shuddered and feared what would happen to him now.

MMMM

News travels fast in small villages, and though large cities may lack the togetherness of such towns, gossip in Camelot could spread like a wildfire. After all, when a drunk knight marches around a city proclaiming that he saw the sorcerer who tried to murder the king a year ago, people will gossip quite a bit. It wasn't long before the knight, who later the name Sir Gwaine got attached to, was found passed out somewhere below the castle. He was brought home and the servants speculated that this latest night at the tavern was inspired by his guilty conscious. After all, it was his fault that his cousin had ended up in the dungeon.

Most of the servants believed that his grand proclamations about Merlin were merely a drunken man's dream, however the news spread nevertheless, and before long even the Lady Morgana was aware of this new rumor. She was also informed that the king had heard nothing of this new information, and infact he was planning a grand banquet for the night during which he would celebrate the one year anniversary of the sorcerer's disappearance from Camelot. None of the servants dared tell him that his banquet was quite possibly in vain.

Morgana smirked, she would just have to find and take care of Merlin, or whoever Gwaine saw, herself. She would investigate who Gwaine had seen, because she knew he had seen something, and she would not hesitate to kill if it was Merlin that he had seen. She soon found herself in front of Cuilén's cell door. She would first find out if he knew anything, and then she would find Merlin.

She opened the door abruptly, seeming to startle Cuilén from sleep. He glanced up blurrily.

"What now?" He asked , his words slightly slurred.

"He has returned, and you will tell me why," Morgana's eyes flashed with anger. "Now."

"I don't know!" Cuilén said. "He hasn't told me anything!"

"And yet you seem to know who I'm talking about," Morgana glared angrily at the former serving boy. "So, he has told you things in the past? What? What secrets has he divulged?"

"He hasn't told me anything cause I don't know who he is," Cuilén quickly realized his mistake and tried to cover it up.

Morgana shook her head, clearly angered, and she paced the cell with short, clipped steps.

"You are lying, but no matter. I give you one last chance, Cuilén. Tell me what Merlin has told you, now!"

"There's nothing to tell!" Cuilén stammered, and he flinched as Morgana's eyes glowed a molten golden. A few moments later Cuilén's eyes became glassy and his gaze became unfocused.

"Now, what has Merlin told you? What is his plan? Where is he right now?"

"He… He said that... He just asked if I was okay," Cuilén told Morgana.

"And where is his location?"

"I don't know."

"Where was he last headed?" Morgana yelled, frustrated.

"I... I don't..." Just then Cuilén grabbed his head in his hands as he heard once again Merlin's voice.

Cuilén, I was trying to come and save you, but apparently people know I'm here. I'm headed for a cave in the forest now. I'll have to stay there for a day or so before returning.

"Protect yourself, or shield yourself somehow," Cuilén warned. "Morgana is asking me questions and I can't help but tell her the answers. I'm sorry, I'm so sorry!"

"You're communicating with him!" Morgana screeched before uttering an incantation and making Cuilén's eyes to become glassier. "What did he say?"

"He was going to a cave in the forest!" Cuilén said, feeling horrible for betraying Merlin like that.

Morgana's eyes shone with success, and she grinned evilly.

"Tell Merlin that I'll see him soon. I have ever so missed him." With that, Morgana's eyes flashed and Cuilén fell unconscious.

MMM

Jolly music greeted the king as he marched into the banquet hall. He grinned broadly and nodded to the ladies and gentlemen of the court.

"Welcome gentlemen and ladies of the court!" He said, his voice carrying to all parts of the room. "Tonight we celebrate the ridding of the sorcerer who hid under our noses for years!"

The crowd cheered and raised their glass before going back to what they were doing.

Arthur smiled, taking his seat at the end of the room, however he frowned when he noticed that Morgana's chair was missing.

"Where is the Lady Morgana?" Arthur turned to a knight.

"Well, I'm not sure, but someone said they saw her heading toward the forest."

Arthur frowned, "By herself?"

"Er... I believe so," the knight nodded slowly.

Arthur shook his head and decided that he should probably go after her. It was night and it was dangerous.

'Why would she travel into the forest at this late hour anyway?' Arthur wondered.

"Sire?" The knight questioned. "Are you alright? Do you need something?"

"Ready my horse!" Arthur commanded.

"But Sire, the banquet! I mean, yes Sire, of course."

Arthur stalked outside and then waited for his horse. He rode off in the direction the guard said Morgana had gone.

The woods were dark and ominous, and once again Arthur wondered what business Morgana had in the forest. It wasn't until he'd traveled along a well worn path for about a half hour that he heard a sound that made his blood run cold. Spurring his horse, Arthur rode in the direction of the jarring noise until he realized he'd have to go off the path. Dismounting, Arthur tired his horse cautiously behind a tree and crept further into the thick woods.

Suddenly Arthur winced as he heard the sound again. This time he'd been sure; that had been a scream.

He quickly, but quietly, rounded the corner and hid behind a tree. What he saw horrified him.

Morgana was standing over Merlin and beating him with a whip. He edged closer to hear what Morgana was saying to the young man.

"I told Cuilén, and so I told you, not to make a move toward Camelot. I told both of you what the implications would be, and now I have no choice in the matter. You may think you can save Arthur, you may have the slightest bit of hope inside that you can save Camelot and Cuilén, but you are wrong. I am practically the queen of Camelot already!"

"You can't get rid of the king," Merlin's voice was soft. "His subjects wouldn't stand for it. His knights are loyal."

"They used to be loyal, but oh how much has changed since you made your daring departure."

Arthur had heard enough, he stepped out into the light and called out. "Morgana!"

"Arthur," she turned, her eyes flashing gold at him. "Come and join us."

"When did you find him?" Arthur asked, walking over. "I'm glad you did, now we can kill him, like I meant to do."

Morgana smiled and looked down at Merlin, "It seems Arthur still hates you."

"And I say, it seems like you have enchanted him. What ever have you done to him? He is worse then when I first came to Camelot. Now I have some work to do," Merlin stared in shock up at Arthur before he gave a strained smile.

Morgana looked over at Arthur, "Do you want him to feel the pain you did when he betrayed you?"

"Yes," Arthur's answer was cold and harsh. Merlin winced at the tone.

"Do what you will Arthur," he said. "But please... Leave Cuilén and Gwaine alone."

"Why would we do that?" Morgana asked. "We are going to kill you. Why do you care about them?"

"Cause they are like family," Merlin said, not knowing how close to the truth he was.

"Family?" Morgana laughed. "None of these people care about you Merlin."

"That is where you are wrong, Morgana," Merlin softly explained. "They all think of each other as family."

Morgana growled, thoroughly frustrated with the young man in front of her.

"Go ahead," she told Arthur, handing the king the whip. "Just don't hurt him too bad, I wish to finish him off for what he did to you."

Arthur nodded and began to swing the whip though the air.

Merlin only heard the swish of the whip for the next few minutes. By the time they stopped and he lay on the ground, panting as the pain coursed through his veins.

He didn't get long as Morgana grabbed his shoulder after giving him a few seconds.

"It's not over yet Merlin," she said. "We still have quite a few spells to go through before I kill you."

Merlin couldn't focus on what Morgana was saying but he did have one thought running through his mind.

Taunt her.

That may have seemed like a bad idea at first but Merlin knew if she used enough power on him then her spell on Arthur would break. He could see the king's glassy eyes and knew there was an enchantment of sorts on him.

Merlin hissed in pain as Morgana chanted in the old religion and he felt chains tightening around his chest and arms.

"Is that the best you can do?" He asked, breathing as steady as he could make it with the amount of pain coursing through him.

Morgana gave an almost feral growl as she cast an even more powerful spell. This caused Merlin to give a small scream as the knife she carried plunged into his leg. It barely missed the main blood vessel which Merlin never bothered to learn the name of from Gaius.

"Are you sure you're using your full power?" Merlin gasped out once he could speak again. "Cause it doesn't feel like it."

Morgana gave a shriek of anger and blasted Merlin with pure magic, effectively using her power up for the moment, releasing her hold on Arthur.

Merlin slumped to the ground as did Arthur, and Morgana chuckled.

"Two birds with one stone," she observed, "Now I can take what is rightfully mine."

She walked off into the woods, and was long gone before either Merlin or Arthur stirred.

* * *

**AN:**_ So, that was a rather intense chapter... But Merlin is back! Arthur was rather dark in this chapter, but don't worry you can entirely blame Morgana. We're nearing the end of this one, but there will be a sequel. Anyway, please review! :-)_


	12. Chapter 11

**AN: **_So, thanks for the review last chapter, though there were few. Hopefully more this chapter! :)_

* * *

Arthur woke up a couple hours later, and that was only because someone was shaking his shoulder and calling his name rather loudly.

"Sire, Arthur! Wake up!"

Arthur moaned and blinked rapidly as he was brought abruptly back to the world of the living.

"What happened?" He asked sitting up, pausing as he swayed dizzily, trying to gain his balance once again.

"I'm not sure but there is another person here and I don't know who they are."

Arthur looked up at the speaker and saw a young boy standing above him.

"Cuilén?" He asked, "What are you doing here? I thought..." Here he paused to recollect what had happened the past few hours. "I thought you were in jail."

"Gaius helped get me out when they threatened to kill me for magic, which I don't have," Cuilén said, sensing Arthur was different now. "The guy over there needs help." He pointed to where Merlin lay face down on the ground, back a bloody mess and pale as a sheet.

Arthur paled when he saw who it was on the ground.

"Merlin!" He cried, forgetting for the moment he was mad at the servant for hiding his magic from him and trying to kill him, or so he thought.

"That's Merlin?" Cuilén was shocked, the guy was younger than he had thought.

"What..." Then Arthur remembered what had happened. "What have I done?" He whispered as he sank back down to the ground from where he had been about to run over to the prone man.

Cuilén didn't have time to figure out what was wrong with the king. Instead he walked over to the figure and knelt down beside him. Gently he laid his hands on Merlin's back and winced as the man winced and stirred slightly. He didn't quite know what to do but he wanted to do something similar to what he had done with Elyan.

He focused on Merlin's pain, lips pursed in concentration, gently taking away all of the pain and push the wounds to close. He was startled when gold tendrils of magic reached up to surround him and he could feel the power behind it. He smiled as it surrounded him and he latched onto it using it to mostly heal Merlin who had relaxed under Cuilén's ministrations.

Cuilén slumped back afterwards, thoroughly exhausted after using the strange magic to heal Merlin. He didn't understand the raw power he had felt, he didn't know where it had come from either, but Merlin should be waking up soon and that was all that mattered.

Cuilén shook his head trying to get over the effects of using that much magic, more than he ever had in his life!

He was distracted by a groan coming from the ground next to him and he looked down to see Merlin stirring on the ground.

"Merlin?" He asked quietly, not wanting to cause the man's almost sure headache to be any worse.

"Gah!" Merlin groaned as he lifted his head off the ground, then drowned in confusion. "You know... I would have thought the being beaten within an inch of my life would hurt more."

"You're okay!" Cuilén exclaimed a little too loud considering Merlin winced once more. "Sorry, I just wasn't sure how much that healed you, it was a little hard to tell since I am not used to all that power. What was that by the way? There was some kinda gold magic I think I latched onto and used to heal you and..." He was cut of by Merlin placing a hand over his mouth.

"Slow down," Merlin said, looking up at Cuilén with a bit of confusion on his face before his eyes lit up.

"Cuilén?" He asked, gently eyeing the boy from head to toe.

"Yup that's me!" Cuilén said, "I can't believe I'm finally meeting you!"

"Me neither," Merlin admitted as he sat up and offered Cuilén a hand to shake. "I had hoped to meet you in person after rummaging around in your head for a year."

Cuilén was so excited he flung his arms around Merlin and hugged the man.

"I'm so glad you're okay," he said into Merlin's shoulder. "I was so worried when Morgana made me tell her what you had said to me."

Merlin held the boy in a warm embrace, understanding his need to confirm Merlin was alright.

"I was worried about you," he told Cuilén. "You were so scared. I was so frightened Morgana was hurting you. I hoped not, but it is Morgana and she could be doing anything. You saw what happened to me, and I can defend myself better then you can. What happened?"

"I..." Cuilén started to tremble as he remembered what happened to him. "She..."

"Don't worry," Merlin said, gently rubbing Cuilén's back as he correctly interpreting the boys shudders as fear. "She can't hurt you as long as I am around."

"It was so dark," Cuilén whimpered as he related what had happened. "I didn't even know why I was arrested!"

"That may have been my fault," Arthur said, ashamedly from where he was still sitting, watching his manservants. "Gwaine was really bugging me and, I was going to throw him in the dungeons but he didn't seem to mind that so I had you thrown in instead. It got him to listen and obey. I think Morgana wanted you two out of the way."

"You back in the land of the living now?" Merlin asked the King, eyes wary incase he had to ward the king off.

"Yeah I think so, though I have absolutely no idea what you two were just talking about," Arthur said. "But don't think I'm not still mad at you for hiding your magic from me."

Merlin nodded, "Wouldn't think of it, Sire."

Then he turned back to Cuilén, "Forgive the interruption, keep going with your story."

"The guards dragged me down to the dungeons and locked me in a dark room with no windows and a solid iron door. It was really dark and I didn't know what to do! I was so frightened... I thought they were going to kill me!" Tears were running down his cheek now and he was trying really hard not to full out sob.

Merlin waited for him to calm down before asking. "Was that when I contacted you the first time?"

Cuilén nodded and said, "That helped knowing you knew I was in trouble and would help me, or so I hoped."

"I will always be there to help you," Merlin assured him, "Then we got cut off.. But I could still feel that you were frightened. What happened?"

"Morgana came in," Cuilén continued. "She questioned me, and accused me of sorcery. Then she left and it was really dark again." He shuddered, "I really don't like the dark."

"I know," Merlin said. "I don't either."

"I fell asleep. But then she came back..." Cuilén's voice trailed off and Merlin placed a hand on his shoulder, hoping to lend the boy the strength he needed.

"She was really angry. She said you were back and I had no idea what she was talking about and she got even more angry. She said something and I had to answer anything she said or do anything she told me to do." Cuilén shuddered. "It was horrible, then you contacted me and she told me to tell her where you were. I couldn't stop from telling her! I'm so sorry! I'm so, so sorry..." Cuilén was crying now burying his head into Merlin's shoulder.

Merlin just held him, not commenting for a minute or two. After that he gently pulled away and lifted Cuilén's chin with his finger so that Cuilén was looking him in the eye.

"Cuilen, she placed a truth spell on you. Even I would have my work cut out for me to resist that if one was placed on me. I couldn't expect you to do it, in any circumstance. Do you understand?"

Cuilén nodded and smiled gratefully at Merlin, still a bit unsure but more confident than he had been before. He pulled away and sat down next to Merlin on the ground.

Merlin nodded, satisfied now that he knew what had happened. "Now, I want an explanation. How am I feeling this good after I'm pretty sure Morgana beat me half to death?"

"I don't know." Arthur said, looking at Cuilén, who suddenly found the ground very interesting. "He like, placed his hands on you and there was gold... Magic I guess, and you were healed!"

Merlin frowned and looked at Cuilén. "How much magic do you have?"

"Not much." Cuilén admitted, "I can do minimal healing, nothing like what I guess I just did." He frowned, "It was really weird, I don't know what the golden magic was, or where it came from."

"It might have been mine." Merlin reasoned, "I might have reached out when I felt you. It has become a habit to check on you every now and then."

"I have never healed to that degree before," Cuilén said, then gasped as Merlin closed his eyes and the gold tendrils reappeared.

"Is this what you saw Cuilén?" Merlin asked opening his eyes again and allowing the magic to flow around them.

Cuilén nodded, at a loss for words, and reached out with his magic to try and connect again.

They both gasped at the two magics connected and they both felt the added power, Cuilén more than Merlin but both felt it.

"If I am not interrupting anything," Arthur drawled, his voice low. "We need to go find Morgana before she usurps my throne."

Merlin and Cuilén stopped what they were doing and glared at Arthur.

"You always have to talk, don't you prat?" Merlin said. "We were testing something out."

"Is it going to help me get my throne back?" Arthur asked.

"Possibly," Merlin told him.

"Fine," Arthur sulked. "You two look really similar by the way."

"I hadn't noticed," Merlin observed. "But now that you mention it we do." Then his eyes lit up. "That's why he is your manservant! You missed me!"

"I did not!" Arthur spluttered. "Gwaine told me his cousin needed a job and so I took pity on the boy!"

"Yeah right," Merlin said, smile wide and cheeky. "You will never admit it Arthur, but you missed me. I know you did."

"Whatever," Arthur knew he wasn't going to win the argument.

Merlin turned around to see Cuilén's eyes slowly closing and he was yawning. "You tired?" He asked, smiling.

"Yeah..." Cuilén nodded sleepily.

"Probably because you healed me. Are you feeling okay otherwise?" Merlin asked, knowing first hand how difficult healing was.

Cuilén shook his head and winced in pain.

"What hurts?" Merlin was by his side in an instant.

"Everything," Cuilén whimpered, clutching his stomach and ribs in pain. He was noticing the pain more and more as the adrenaline from the magic wore off.

"Just lay down and go to sleep," Merlin told him gently sending calming emotions to the boy. "You will feel better after a few hours of sleep."

Cuilén was too tired to protest and he quickly dropped off to sleep.

"Get some rest Merlin," Arthur ordered as he stood up . "I will take first watch."

Merlin smiled and draped his cloak over Cuilén before settling down himself.

MMMM

Morgana smiled as she rode toward Camelot. She was pleased at how well her plan had gone, with Gwaine and Cuilén taken care of earlier and now Arthur and the pesky Merlin she was free to take over Camelot. She had to do this carefully, though, or the remnants of Arthur's loyal subjects would rebel against her. She'd have to use a tactic which would play to his loyal subject's consciences, considering the only subjects who were still loyal were those who despised magic. Very few others harbored good feelings toward the king; even Leon was becoming uneasy about the king.

Morgana took a deep breath before she kicked the horse and began to breath in quick, choked breaths. She raced toward Camelot, and immediately the guards standing in front of the gate jerked to action. They grabbed the horses reins and helped her off the now seemingly panicked animal.

"Lady Morgana," one of the guards spoke quickly. "What has occurred?"

"It was… Oh, I cannot say it, for it would be treason but… I just saw the king, my brother, and he was consorting with… With… Oh I cannot say it!"

"With who?" the other guard asked quickly. "What was it? You should tell us, in case it was dangerous!"

"It was! Oh, I suppose I must tell you. I was going to gather a few flowers to decorate the table for the feast, I'd only gone a small ways into the wood, when I heard speaking. I cautiously when to see what it was, and the king was talking with a dangerous, known sorcerer. I feared what they might be saying, so I risked my own life and went closer. Arthur was telling the sorcerer about his birth and he said… He said he was born of magic! Our king has lied to us all these years! My brother has lied to me all of these years. He and the sorcerer then began to use magic, and I could not understand their words, but they were doing something to Camelot. That was the only word I recognized. Who knows how long they've been meeting in the woods.

"Suddenly, I stepped on a branch, and they saw me, and I feared they would attack me! There was a dangerous look in their eyes, and the sorcerer started to incant something, and I had to flee for my life! I don't know how long the king has been meeting with the sorcerer, but he has always known that he was born of magic. If he was, is he even the rightful king? Why has he always lied?"

Morgana sounded desperately hopeless, and the guards looked at each other nervously. Shocked by this news, however after a moment they looked sympathetically at Morgana.

"My lady," one of the guards spoke softly. "Let us help you back to the castle. We must inform the council of this betrayal."

"You think it's a betrayal?" Morgana turned to the guard slowly.

"Well…." he trailed off, however she nodded encouragingly.

"No, perhaps you're right. I can't believe the king would betray his own kingdom, but it seems that that's exactly what he's done. We must speak to the council, immediately!"

The two guards nodded and lead Morgana toward the castle, a masked smirk on her face.

MMMM

Cuilén, Arthur, and Merlin stayed in the cave for a couple of hours as Cuilén recovered from trying to heal Merlin. Eventually Arthur said that they needed to get back to Camelot, and Merlin agreed.

Arthur had been very quiet since he'd woken up, and on the way back, Merlin asked what was bothering him.

"I'm fine Merlin," Arthur said with almost no emotion in his voice.

"Sure you are, prat," Merlin said, not believing him for one second. He stopped and looked at Arthur for a second. "It's not your fault you know that right?"

"Then why does it feel like it is?" Arthur wailed.

"Morgana was controlling you," Merlin told his old friend. "I forgive you for all of it, pretty much. You need to move on and focus on getting rid of her. Then you can feel guilty. I'm just kidding Arthur! Please, don't blame yourself."

"But I can't not blame myself," Arthur said, looking at Merlin with eyes filled with tears. "I did this to my people, I hurt you!"

"I'm fine now," Merlin's eyes held some unshed tears as well. "All of that is over."

"Only because Cuilén was here!" Arthur wouldn't let it go. "If he wasn't, you would have died!"

"But I didn't. Besides, ye of little faith, it'll take more than something like that to get rid of me."

"Are you saying I'm not capable of killing you?" Arthur asked incredulously. "I have been trained to kill since birth."

"And how long have you been training to be a prat?" Merlin allowed a single tear to trace down his cheek.

Arthur shoved Merlin into a tree and smiled at his friend. No matter what happened, Merlin always managed to cheer him up and Arthur was glad Merlin was there for him.

"Well, there's Camelot," Cuilén spoke up softly.

"Indeed," Merlin said as they approached the castle. "Gwaine will probably be in the lower town somewhere... I want to try and find him."

"Somewhere?" Cuilén laughed. "Try the tavern."

"True, but which one? There are three in the lower town."

"I think we should check the one furthest from the castle. He doesn't much like the castle much any more…" Cuilén glanced nervously at Arthur.

"Alright, that's the best we got to go on so let's go," Merlin answered.

Arthur just nodded and muttered, "I'm not sure I like it very much anymore."

The three made their way cautiously into the lower town. Merlin hid his face when they passed by windows. Soon they arrived at the loud tavern, and Merlin sighed uneasily.

"They'll recognize both Arthur and I, if we go in. Cuilén, can you go get Gwaine?"

Cuilén nodded and he quickly slipped into the tavern. Merlin and Arthur watched him disappear before they gave each other an uneasy smile.

"It'll be okay," Merlin promised, however Arthur simply sighed. After a moment, he nodded, and then focused his attention on a group marching toward the tavern.

"It's the new guards," Arthur hissed to Merlin. "Go inside, they can't see you."

"What about you?" Merlin asked.

"I'm the king. I'll be fine," Arthur shrugged, and Merlin slipped inside.

He looked around for Cuilén and Gwaine, keeping his head down so as not to attract any attention. He quickly saw Cuilén standing next the staircase, motioning for him to come upstairs.

"Here is Gwaine's room," he told Merlin when the reached room 14.

"Doesn't Gwaine live in the knight's quarters?" Merlin asked.

"He refuses to," Cuilén said, "Besides, he quit."

"He quit being a knight?"

"Yup!" Cuilén said before opening the door and calling out for his cousin. "Gwaine!"

Gwaine jumped out of bed and fell to the floor in a tangle of sheets. "Cuilén?" He asked groggily. "Is that you?"

"Hello," Cuilén smiled. "I have someone here to see you."

"Tell whoever it is to go away." Gwaine said crawling back into the bed.

"I'm offended!" Merlin stepped through the door, a smile on his face. "After all this time, you don't want to see me?"

"Merlin!" Gwaine lept out of bed and ran over to his friend. "Where have you been?"

"Around," Merlin shrugged vaguely. "But I've come back to help return the kingdom to how it used to be. I heard you're not a knight any more?"

"Nope, Arthur is as much of a arse as I thought he was!" Gwaine didn't seem to care that he was talking about the king of Camelot.

"He was enchanted by Morgana," Merlin explained quickly.

"Really?" Gwaine asked, sounding skeptical.

"Yeah, and he's actually standing right outside right now. He's very upset, it'd be better if you didn't upset him to much until this is all over. He helped us back into the kingdom, and he'll be on our side for now on. He did many things that he regrets. For now we've got to get down stairs and back to him."

Just then there was a commotion downstairs, and Merlin hurried out the door, his face dropping.

"Is there a back way down stairs?" Merlin asked quickly. "We've got to get out of here!"

"Why?" Cuilén asked.

"There's guards all over the tavern, I can bet they're looking for us."

"He sold you out!" Gwaine spat angrily. "Arthur is every bit the tyrant I thought he was."

"No," Merlin shook his head, trying to convince himself as much as convince anyone else. "No, he wouldn't. But, we do have to get out of here."

"There's a door at the end of the hall. It leads to a ladder that leads down to the ground outside the tavern. We can try it."

The three hurried down the hall toward the small door.

"You go first, get out of here," Merlin told Cuilén. Cuilén nodded and hurried down the ladder. "You go next Gwaine. I'll be fine."

"But Merlin-"

"There is no time for argument!" Merlin told Gwaine.

Gwaine hurried down the ladder, and Merlin was shocked when he heard a shout.

"Merlin don't-" Gwaine shouted, and then his voice was silent. Merlin froze, glancing down the hall. What happened to Gwaine? What was he supposed to do? Not go down the ladder and get caught by the guards in the tavern?

He stood there for a moment before quickly muttering a spell and melting into the shadows in the corner of the room.

A moment later, a group of guards rushed up the stairs. They looked around, confused.

"Hey, is the sorcerer down there?" they called down the ladder.

"No," the other guards called. "He was up there!"

"He's not up here!" the guards shook their heads. "How'd he get away?"

"Who knows, but he is a sorcerer. Maybe we'd best get these three up to the castle and to the queen."

Merlin's eyes widened. Three? Cuilén, Gwaine, and Arthur had been captured?

"Yeah, but she'll have our heads if we leave the sorcerer!" one of the guards downstairs called up.

"We can't help it." The other guard said. "We need to get the prisoners back to Queen Morgana."

"We can just not tell her that the sorcerer was here. She won't know the difference. Come on," another guard agreed, and then the guards slowly disappeared down the stairs. Merlin waited for several minutes before he relaxed and slunk out of the shadows.

Queen Morgana? When had that happened? Why would they capture Arthur? What in the world had happened since Merlin had left Camelot? He'd gotten a little idea from Cuilén, but apparently he hadn't known half of the whole story.

Cautiously, Merlin made his way down the ladder at the end of the hall, and he breathed a sigh of relief when he wasn't captured. He hurried from shadow to shadow as he made his way toward the castle. When he arrived, he pondered where he should go first, and how he should get in. After a moment, he hurried in the servant's entrance and then made his way towards Gaius's chambers. Maybe he should talk to him before he did anything drastic.

He slipped into the small room and cleared his throat. "Gaius?" He asked hesitantly.

There was a moment of silence, before the old man shot up in bed, his eyes wide.

"Merlin!" he declared. "What are you doing here?"

"Just stopping by, seeing how many time I can get away from the guards." Merlin grinned cheekily at his surrogate father. "How are you?"

"You come back after disappearing for a year, and you ask me how I am?" Gaius enveloped Merlin in a hug. "How are you, my boy? It's dangerous here, you must be careful!"

"I'm fine Gaius." Merlin said, "but Cuilén, Gwaine and Arthur are not! They got captured! Although why Arthur got captured I have no idea." He looked pleadingly at his mentor. "What is happening here?"

"Tonight, Morgana came running into the castle claiming that Arthur had betrayed Camelot. She seemed very upset, and a council meeting was held immediately. She's been crowned temporary queen until more information can be gathered. She acting as if she's very upset by this arrangement, however you and I might know different… The council meeting is still in session right now."

Merlin frowned but nodded, "She beat me up and left Arthur and I there in the woods. She could be telling them Arthur was enchanted by me."

"You're injured?" Gaius asked quickly. "Where? What did she do?"

"She and Arthur beat me up pretty badly," Merlin admitted, "But I'm fine now."

"How did that come to be? If they hurt you, why are you fine now?"

"Cuilén healed me," Merlin sighed. "His powers are very strong Gaius, he connected with my magic and used it to heal me. I can't do healing, Gaius, so I know I didn't do it subconsciously. It was him."

"He has been a very helpful addition to my healing process. He is a strong empath, however sometimes I worry about the boy."

"I do as well, Gaius," Merlin admitted. "He nearly collapsed after he healed me, once the adrenaline wore off. And he was pretty shaken up over the whole being arrested thing as well."

"He doesn't know how to control his healing powers. He doesn't know when to stop."

"That and tapping into my power is a lot for any one person to do," Merlin agreed. "I was surprised at how well he connected with my magic. It's almost like we knew each other before all this."

"Well, Merlin, Gwaine did inform me of a.. A connection you have him, more than your mind connection."

"What are you talking about?"

"Merlin, he is your cousin, on Balinor's side. Gwaine found out and informed me of this. I'm not sure if Cuilén knows or not."

"But... " Merlin was at a loss for words. "Isn't he Gwaine's cousin?"

"It seems that he is both."

"Huh!" Merlin frowned, then a smile lit up his face. "So Gwaine and Cuilén are both related to me!"

"It would seem so. You have a bit more family in the world than you were lead to believe."

"Wow." Merlin sank into a chair. "No wonder our magic connected so easily. Cuilén I get, he looks just like me. Gwaine is a little harder to believe but I don't mind having him as family. So you think Cuilén doesn't know?"

"I never mentioned it to him. If Gwaine told him, I do not know."

"I have to go find them and Arthur." Merlin said, jumping to his feet. "I can't let them get hurt!"

"Be careful, Merlin. The kingdom is not like it used to be. It is a dangerous place now, and the punishments are no longer simply sitting in a cell for a day. Please, be careful,

my boy."

"When have I not been careful?" Merlin asked to which Gaius replied,

"Don't you remember what started this a little more than a year ago?"

Merlin shook his head in confusion.

"You poisoned the king, all because you were not careful."

"Well then I will be more careful this time. I have grown up a bit in a year," Merlin promised before slipping out the door.

MMMM

"It was terrible," Morgana was telling the council. "I feared for my life. I never thought that the king was so betray his kingdom."

"He cannot remain as king," one person spoke up.

"But he is the king! To go against him would be treason, would it not?"

"But if he is plotting against his own kingdom-"

"How can we be sure that's what he was doing? Unless we see proof that he was in fact consorting with a sorcerer, how can we pass judgment?"

The door to the council chamber opened suddenly, and a guard came in and whispered something to Morgana. Her eyes widened and she stood quickly.

"Please excuse me," she told the council. "I have urgent business somewhere. I will return as soon as I possibly can. The council meeting will be paused until I return, please. Thank you."

Morgana then allowed the guard to lead her down the hall and toward the dungeon. It was lit with a sparse number of torches casting a shadowed, brownish glow onto the walls.

In a moment she had approached the cells, and she smirked when she glimpsed Arthur and Cuilén chained in one cell, Gwaine chained in the cell across from his cousin.

"Let us go!" Gwaine yelled, bristling at the sight of Morgana.

Morgana simply smirked at Gwaine, as if amused, and she flashed her at Culien who let out a soft yelp before pressing his lips shut.

"What are you doing to him?" Gwaine asked, straining to see if she hurt him in any way.

"It's just magic," Morgana glanced at Gwaine, "However if you continue to bother me, know that Cuilén will not appreciate the outcome."

Gwaine relaxed, "Just don't hurt him!" He pleaded.

"We'll see," Morgana turned to Arthur, who was watching the exchange with clear hatred in his eyes. "Now, dear brother, time for you to answer my questions. What are you doing here? Why have you returned?"

"I came back to my kingdom," Arthur retorted, "I didn't know I wasn't king anymore."

"You stopped being king the moment you sided with the sorcerer, Merlin. The moment I saw forgiveness toward him in your eyes, you ceased to be king."

Arthur frowned, "He is my friend."

"How can be friends with a man who tried to kill you?" Morgana asked sternly.

"He didn't try to kill Arthur!" Cuilén spoke up suddenly. "He wouldn't have!"

Gwaine nodded in agreement. "Merlin would lay down his life for Arthur."

"Enough," Morgana said in a choice much to calm to signify anything pleasant. "You, Arthur, has consorted with a sorcerer, and the council is aware of your treachery."

"Am I the treacherous one here, Morgana?" Arthur asked. "If I am, I'm not the only one."

Cuilén suddenly gave a tiny gasp, and Arthur's eyes flew to the younger boy.

"I have more questions," Morgana glared at Arthur. "Stop interrupting."

Arthur looked as if he wanted to retort but his eyes flickered from Morgana to Cuilén and he apparently thought better of it.

"Ask your questions," he said.

"Where is the sorcerer, Merlin?"

"I don't know," Arthur said.

"You don't know?" Morgana asked slowly. "You say he's your friend, and yet you don't bother to care about where he is?"

Arthur looked down at the ground but then he glanced at Gwaine and Cuilén with unshed tears in his eyes.

"What has you three so upset?" Morgana glared at Arthur.

"Morgana," Arthur said. "The only thing I know about Merlin is where..." His voice choked up as if reliving some painful memory. "Is where his... His body is."

Morgana's mouth dropped and her eyes widened.

"What?" She asked slowly.

"He is dead!" Gwaine yelled, tears falling down his cheeks. "You killed him!"

Morgana looked truly shocked and she stared at her brother silently. After a moment, she nodded once.

"I... No further questions," she spoke, before she turned toward the stairs. She paused, however, still looking toward the door. "For consorting with a sorcerer, Arthur, you will soon join him."

Arthur only glared at Morgana as she walked out of the dungeon.

MMMM

Morgana called the council together again and she sat at the head of the table, her hands folded in front of her and her face sad.

"I just spoke with my brother," Morgana's voice was soft. "He claims that he is siding with the sorcerer and magic. He had planned... He had planned to bring magic into the kingdom, destroying everything that we have built this kingdom around. I have pondered my options and tried to be lenient, however I see only one good option. Of course, I will need your permission, but I believe that my brother must be sentenced to death."

The council chamber went quiet for a moment, before one old man nodded slowly.

"Uther would have been shocked by what his boy has become. Magic is one thing, but such plotting against the kingdom is another, I suppose," the man's voice was sad. "I too see few other options."

"Are you sure?" A different man spoke up. Many of the people in the council room looked uneasy, however one of the newer guards who Morgana had hired stepped forward.

"Lady Morgana is the ruler in our former king's steed, and you must listen to her judgments."

The councilmen nodded slowly, their expressions nervous.

"I hereby sentence Arthur Pendragon to death for crimes against his own kingdom and people," Morgana glared at the councilmen, daring someone to question her, however no one did.

No one seemed to notice when the knight at the door, Sir Leon, slipped out of the room and ran toward the dungeon and quickly as his legs would carry him.

MMMM

Arthur, Cuilén and Gwaine as stood in their respective places, hands chained above them when Leon appeared.

"Leon?" Arthur asked, incredulously. "What are you doing here?"

"You have to get out here," Leon unlocked the cell door. "Your highness, she plans to kill you. You're to be executed, but I will not allow that to happen. I have sworn to serve you as king, and I will do so until my dying day. You must hurry."

"I cannot leave, Leon." Arthur told him as his knight unlocked them. "I must face Morgana."

"But Sire, the new guards, they are loyal to her!"

"It doesn't matter." Arthur said, "I must confront her, she has taken my kingdom from me."

"Then... Then I will stand with you," Leon bowed before he unshackled Gwaine and Cuilén. "It will be my honor to stand with you until the end. I see that you... That you remind my more of how you used to be, Sire. I'm proud to call you king."

"Thank you Leon," Arthur said and turned as Gwaine walked up to him.

"What he said," Gwaine jerked his thumb in Leons direction. "You are much more pleasant to be around now."

Arthur's eyes lit up and he smiled at Gwaine, "I'm sorry for everything Gwaine."

"It's alright Queenie," Gwaine said, "Now what do you say we go bring your crazy sister to justice?"

"For Camelot," Arthur nodded solemnly.

"For Camelot," Leon agreed. "By the way, perhaps it would be wise to, er, gather a little bit more of a following. If you recall, Sir Elyan and Sir Percival might stand with us if Sir Gwaine does. They were placed in the dungeons a little less than a week ago?"

"Yes..." Arthur looked quite guilty. "Come, we must hurry before she notices that I've been released!"

The small group hurried toward their friends' cells to gather who they could and then prepare to fight against Camelot's new queen.

MMM

Merlin slunk through the halls, a hood over his head. He wasn't sure where his destination was, though he supposed he was heading for the dungeons. Releasing Arthur should be his top priority. He had just arrived at the dungeon door when it swung open and out came Cuilén, Gwaine, Leon, Arthur, and a rather disheveled Percival and Elyan.

"Where did you guys come from?" he asked after he got over the shock of seeing them.

"Leon got us out," Gwaine told Merlin. "Where did you come from?"

"I slipped in the servant's entrance. It's good to see you, Leon, Percival, Elyan. I've missed all you. I hope someone has told you that I never meant to hurt Camelot."

"Gwaine has told us everything," Elyan nodded.

"He told me the full story while we were in the dungeons," Arthur sighed. "I don't know how I could have been so blind. There are no words to express my apologies."

"Then don't and let's go get Morgana!" Merlin exclaimed.

"Don't?" Arthur was confused. "I'm trying to apologize for once and you're telling me not to?"

"Priorities," Merlin grinned.

Arthur huffed but had to admit Merlin was right, "Fine, let's go then."

"Where might we find Morgana, by the way?" Merlin asked.

"Council chamber," Leon spoke almost angrily. "She's announcing herself as queen."

"What!" Arthur screeched indignantly, "That's my throne!"

"It's time to show who's the real Queenie," Gwaine grinned. "Here we are."

"Let me go in," Merlin stepped forward. "I have magic; it'll be less dangerous for me to be the one who confronts her."

"Nope," Arthur pushed past Merlin and threw open the doors of the council chambers.

Merlin stepped quickly in front of Arthur and Morgana's jaw dropped.

"Merlin?" She gasped. "You... You're dead! I killed you! I mean..."

The council looked at Morgana in shock as she realized her mistake. She no longer sounded frightened of Merlin's sorcery, instead she sounded down-right dangerous herself.

"Not quite," Merlin chuckled, "It will take a lot more than what you did to take me out."

Magic seemed to pool in Merlin's eyes, and in a panic, Morgana threw magic at him in quick succession. He was quick to deflect it at first, however he still felt a bit weak and her first few attacks a bolt of magic hit him in the stomach.

Arthur watched as Merlin and Morgan fought, wincing at the blatant use of magic. He was quite worried, to be honest, but he remained calm for Merlin's sake. He cried out when Morgana hit Merlin in the stomach though, his worry for his friend seeping through the mask he had constructed.

"Merlin!" He ran to his friend's side. "'Merlin, get up you idiot!" He shook Merlin's shoulder, when that didn't work he tried another tactic. "Stop being so lazy Merlin. Get up or I am going to have you cleaning the stables for weeks when this is over."

Merlin's eyes fluttered and he stumbled to his feet, watching as the majority of the council took shelter under the table. They were clearly shocked that Morgana had magic.

A moment later, Morgana chuckled darkly and her eyes flashed yet again. Arthur involuntarily shot away from Merlin, his back suddenly pressed against the wall.

"Your sorcerer friend is weak, Arthur," she shook her head at him. "As are you. You could have been a mighty king, if you had not joined forces with him."

"He still will be a mighty king," Merlin rasped from the ground in front of Morgana. "He will bring magic back to the land and rule as no ruler has before with peace and rightful justice."

"That is nothing but a old fairy tale that didn't come true!"

"I assume you think Emrys is a fairy tale as well then." Merlin laughed softly, slowly rising to his feet with labored breaths.

"If there was an Emrys, he would have made himself known long ago rather than allow the so called once and future king to lose sight of the prophecy."

"Arthur had to find his own way," Merlin said. "I could not help him in that aspect of the prophecy. What I can do, is make sure he has help when he needs it."

"You?" Morgana laughed. "You are nothing but a serving boy who dabbled in a magic you could never possibly understand."

"Oh am I?" Merlin looked up then his eyes blazing gold. "I am Emrys, Morgana, and I will be your downfall. I am the one who will help The Once and Future King bring all the lands to peace. And I will start by helping him take back his throne." He advanced toward Morgana, who backed slowly away.

Morgana shook her head, his eyes wide. Merlin couldn't be Emrys, he simply couldn't! Yet suddenly her heart began to pound.

"You maybe be able to stop me," she finally spoke in a low voice. "But you will not be able to save your king."

With a shout, her eyes glowed and a burst of magic shot toward the very stunned Arthur. Merlin had no time to think of a counter spell, he was so shocked by this turn of events. Instead he did the first thing that came to his mind: he threw himself in front of Arthur.

Arthur watched the event as if time has slowed down: Morgana throwing magic at him and Merlin protecting him. He heard someone yelling Merlin's name and realized seconds later that it was himself. He sank to his knees and grabbed Merlin as he fell.

Morgana teleported herself away but none of the people in the room could bring themselves to care. The knights and Cuilén were all too worried about their friend while the council was simply so shocked they couldn't do anything.

"Merlin..." Arthur voice trailed off as he looked down at his friend. "Go and get Gaius!" He shouted, not caring who went just would someone please go get Gaius?

Leon hurried out of the room, and the other knights stepped forward as if in a trance. Their eyes were glued to Arthur and Merlin, unsure what they should do.

Cuilén stood by the door for a moment, his face a grimace, however he stepped forward cautiously.

"It was magic, so Gaius probably can't help," his voice was timid and strained. "But I can, maybe."

"You almost collapsed last time, " Arthur noted.

"I have to," Cuilén nodded. "He... I can tell he's very weak. I have to!"

"Cuilén," Gwaine spoke up, his voice heavy with emotion. "A long time ago, Gaius warned me about your powers. He said... He said that if someone is too weak or too injured, you cannot help them- not without great risk to yourself!"

Gaius suddenly burst into the room and, seeing Merlin, his face blaunched. He hurried to Merlin's side and, after checking him over quickly, his face seemed to turn even more pale if that was possible.

"Oh, my boy," Gaius's voice was soft. "Oh, Merlin."

Cuilén knelt by Gaius's side and spoke softly.

"I can save him," he told the man. "Don't you think? I have to help him!"

"Cuilén no," Gaius shook his head, his voice firm. "I can not allow you to do this."

"Cuilén, it is out of the question." Arthur said. "I am telling you this as your king. Gaius can help, I'm sure."

"But he will die!" Cuilén finally wailed. "I won't let that happen! I can save him, I have to save him!"

Without giving anyone a chance to say anything else, Cuilén shut his eyes tightly and place his hands on Merlin's shoulder. Immediately, Cuilén became rigid and he let out a short cry.

"Cuilén!" Gwaine shouted, reaching for his cousin.

"Cuilén, stop this!" Gaius shook his head. "You cannot take on his suffering; you're still weak from before! I've told you, sometimes you must not use your power! Sometimes you have to block out other's feelings!"

"What is he doing?" Arthur asked, wanting to know what the heck was going on.

"He is an empath, Sire. He does not really have magic, but he can take away other's pain, but only at his own expense! And right now, he cannot afford to be using his gift. Cuilén, you must stop this!"

"Please Cuilén!" Gwaine begged his cousin, who he had come to care for very much in the past year.

Cuilén shook his head desperately, his eyes still pressed tightly shut, however he began to sway from exhaustion. Determinedly he took a deep breath and placed his hands on Merlin's temples. A whimper escaped Cuilén's lips right when Merlin's eyelids fluttered.

Abruptly, a tiny smile passed over Cuilén's face, and then slowly he dropped to the floor, going limp.

Merlin groaned as he sat up and Arthur moved to grab him and he swayed dizzily.

"What happened?" He said, slurring his words slightly.

"I'm not entirely sure." Arthur admitted before turning to Gaius. "How is Cuilén?"

Gaius checked Cuilén's pulse, and he frowned deeply.

"He is not well at all. He went far beyond his limit, foolish boy," Gaius's voice was thick with emotion.

"What did he do?" Merlin asked, worry lacing his voice at the danger it sounded like his cousin was in.

"He... He took Morgana's spell from you and... He transferred it to himself."

"What?" Merlin sat up and scooted over to Cuilén's side. "He can't handle that kind of spell. I would have been out a few days, but there is no telling how long it will affect him or what exactly it will do!"

"He couldn't stand the thought of not saving you," Gaius swallowed hard. "He... His heart is too kind for it to allow him to not save you."

Merlin grit his teeth. "I might be able to help him but I don't really have that much control over my empathy like he does his. I could take it back..."?"

"Merlin, you have magic, but you are not an empath as he is. What's done has been done. I do not think his empathy would even allow you to take it back,"

Merlin nodded and settle down next to Cuilén, not wanting to move away from him.

"Why didn't you tell me Gwaine?" He asked in a quiet voice.

Gwaine seemed to know what he was talk about. "I only told Gaius, Merlin."

Arthur looked at them confused, "What is going on?"

They both ignored him.

"You thought I didn't deserve to know?" Merlin asked. "That Cuilén didn't deserve to know?"

"What is going on?!" Arthur yelled, effectively silenced get the two bickering men. "Gaius can you please explain?"

"Arthur, Merlin and Cuilén are cousins, and they didn't know until today."

"But I thought Gwaine and Cuilén are cousins?"

"Indeed they are," Gaius nodded.

Arthur scratched his head for a moment, clearly confused.

"Wait..." Arthur couldn't wrap his mind around the fact that his manservant and his knight were related. He furrowed his brows and Merlin laughed.

"Don't strain yourself," Merlin said, trying to lighten the mood.

"So you and Gwaine are... Related?" Arthur's jaw dropped.

"I do think that was implied," Merlin nodded, however as he looked down at Cuilén, his brow creased. "Did he ever find out? Did anybody ever tell him? Gaius, you told me, but no one told him?"

Gaius and Gwaine both seemed to find the ground very interesting, all of a sudden.

"That isn't fair!" Merlin shook his head adamantly, on the verge of sobbing all of a sudden. "He risked his life for me, he is risking his life for me, and he doesn't even know?!"

"I never got a chance to tell him." Gwaine said, looking that the ground.

Merlin closed his eyes tightly to try to keep tears from forming in his eyes.

"We should get him into a bed," Merlin mumbled, hugging his cousin close. "Somewhere more comfortable, perhaps my old room?"

"Sounds good." Arthur agreed gently.

Percival stepped forward and reached for the boy in Merlin's arms. Merlin pulled aways and held Cuilén tighter against him.

"Merlin," Arthur said gently placing a hand on his friends shoulder. "We need to bring him to Gaius' chambers and you are injured and weak still. Let us carry him."

Merlin was reluctant at first but finally let Percival lift Cuilén gently.

"Lead the way," Percival said.

* * *

**AN: **_So, what do you think? Please review! Only one chapter to go!_


	13. Chapter 12

**AN: **_Thank you all so much for the reviews last chapter! The interest was great. By the way, there will be a sequel to this :) Hope you enjoy_

_(Written with **Anna Davenport**)_

* * *

The following days passed in a blur for Merlin, which was odd considering he did nothing except sit by Cuilén's bed and frequently fall asleep because, despite how convincing he was when he told everyone he was fine, in reality Merlin was exhausted.

Gwaine visited often and told Merlin what was happening outside Gaius' walls. Arthur had undergone an interrogation, answering a series of questions chosen by Geoffrey, before the council was satisfied that Morgana had not been trying to save the kingdom. Quite the opposite, really. Eventually, the council welcomed back their king, though they were quite sure he'd been enchanted by Merlin for several days. Eventually, Gwaine said that they'd accepted that Merlin could stay, despite his magic, because he had shown such loyalty towards Arthur. They were not yet willing to allow free use of magic in Camelot, however. Maybe someday in the future when things had calmed down.

There had been no word from Morgana, and so she was temporarily forgotten. Percival and Elyan had both been pardoned, and Gwaine was once again Sir Gwaine.

Arthur hadn't been by to visit, however Merlin forgave him easily. He had his hands full trying to restore peace in the kingdom and convincing his people that he was no longer a bloodthirsty tyrant. Besides, Gwaine said that Arthur wasn't quite ready to face Merlin. Apparently his guilt was eating him up inside and he was almost frightened to see the man who was once his servant.

Cuilén's condition had been perilous, however slowly his cheeks were regaining their color and his heart beat was returning to its normal pulse. Gaius had low hopes at first for Cuilén's recovery, however finally he was beginning to accept that the boy might pull through after all.

Merlin must have fallen asleep, because suddenly he jerked awake when he felt a gentle tug at his sleeve. His eyes shot open, and he was shocked when they met Cuilén's bright blue eyes.

"Cuilén!" He exclaimed, looking around for Gaius before remembering the older man had gone down to the lower town for the day. "How are you feeling?"

"Be'r," Cuilén's voice was soft. "Wha'appened?"

"You were a stupid idiot that's what!" Merlin scolded. "They told you not to do anything and what did you do? You did it!"

"Did wha'?"

"Healed me," Merlin was ready to strangle the boy for his risk taking if it wouldn't have been counterproductive. "You almost died."

"I'm gla' you're okay, Merlin. I had t'save you. You're like my hero!"

Merlin gasped at that and then knelt down next to the bed.

"Gwaine and I are supposed to be taking care of you, not you taking care of us."

"But you... You were really hurt! I could feel you were really hurt! I have to help someone if they're really hurt!"

"I would have lived," Merlin stated bluntly. "Gwaine would have killed me and I would have killed myself for not taking care of my cous..." He cut his phrase short and looked down at the ground, remembering that Cuilén didn't know yet.

"Gwaine's m'cousin," Cuilén suddenly yawned, blinking sleepily. "But you're not, so you don'have t'worry."

"Yes I do Cuilén," Merlin said.

"No, only Gwaine does, and he never worries. I have t'worry about everyone who is sick," Cuilén's eyes were beginning to droop from exhaustion.

"Oh yes he does," Merlin chuckled. "Don't ever feel like you have to take care of anyone." He gently placed a hand on Cuilén's arm and continued. "Rest now and don't get up till you feel better. I'll be right here waiting for you."

Cuilén's eyelids fluttered before he snuggled into his pillow and seemed to fall asleep, eyelashes resting against his cheeks. It was right then when the door burst open and Gwaine ran in.

"Gwaine!" Merlin exclaimed before groaning, "Don't be so loud!"

"Were you just talking to him? Is he awake?" Gwaine asked hopefully.

"He just fell back to sleep," Merlin answered. "Stay in here all day for a few nights and you might get to see him."

Gwaine groaned and he slumped down in a chair to wait.

"Gwaine?" Cuilén's eyes suddenly blinked open hopefully. "Did.. Did Gwaine come t'see me? Please?"

"I'm right here buddy." Gwaine said, sitting next to Cuilén. "I'm here. What do you need?"

"Gwaine," Cuilén smiled slightly and his eyes drifted shut. "'M glad you came t'see me. Are you okay?"

"Worry about yourself buddy, let Merlin and I take care of each other and of you. You shouldn't have to look after us," Gwaine spoke firmly, wanting Cuilén to understand.

"But you're terrible at healing things," Cuilén murmured.

"Yeah," Gwaine admitted. "Merlin and I have a responsibility to take care of you though. That means not letting you overdo yourself."

"Why's matter if Merl'n takes care'o'me? Even if he is like m'hero?" Cuilén grinned delusionally up at Merlin and Gwaine.

Gwaine and Merlin glanced at each other, not saying anything but seeming to have a conversation with their eyes.

"Listen, buddy, we have to... Well, you see..." Gwaine began, however he trailed off.

"We are related, Cuilén." Merlin told the boy.

"Yeah, cause we both kinda have magic," Cuilén's eyes blinked sleepily.

"It's more than that," Merlin admitted. "You are my cousin."

"No, I'm Gwaine's cousin."

"I understand that, but you are my uncle's son on my fathers side of the family. It's where you get your magic," Merlin explained.

"Oh..." Cuilén murmured, not seeming to quite comprehend what he was being told. "I thought I was Gwaine's cousin, but you're not related to Gwaine."

"I guess I am," Merlin said. "Not sure I wanted that, but hey! I got you as a cousin so I'm sure you can balance out the craziness Gwaine is now going to inflict on my life."

"You're my cousin but from your mothers side Cuilén," Gwaine nodded. "Me and Merlin are related through that marriage."

"Oh," Cuilén seemed a little more awake now, though not significantly so. "So... So we're all three related? I'm..." Cuilén yawned gently, eyelashes fluttering again. "I'm related to m'hero?"

"Yup." Merlin laughed, "Now get some rest, hopefully no one will interrupt you this time." He glared at Gwaine as he said that.

"G'night," Cuilén smiled at the two before he yawned and his eyes blinked shut. Subconsciously he pulled his blanket under his chin and once again snuggled into his pillow. "Thank you fr'taking care o'me."

"No problem buddy," Gwaine said while Merlin just smiled and rubbed small circles on Cuilén's arm.

"Goodnight," they both whispered as Cuilén fell into a deep sleep.

"He's a sweet kid," Gwaine spoke after a moment. "I... I'm so glad he's okay."

"I'm glad we all know now," Merlin said. "I'm sorry if I have been short with you these past few days. I needed time to react to everything."

"Hey, I was plenty _short _with Arthur, he didn't even throw me in the dungeons! I understand."

"But he did throw Cuilén in the dungeons." Merlin said, "He was so scared then Gwaine, he didn't know what was happening and he hated being in that dark room. I could feel him broadcasting his fear and it hurt me just as much as it did him."

"I..." Gwaine hesitated, finding himself at an unusual loss for words. "You were able to contact him, to feel his emotions, why? Is it just because you're related? Because you both have magic of sorts?"

"I'm not entirely sure, the related thing might be a part of it but magic is also," Merlin stumbled over his words a it as he tried to explain. "The way his... Our magic connected it was like... Like they knew each other already from the start. I don't understand how I knew to contact him that first time. Only that I was supposed to. Now that our magic has connected, I think it'll be different. I don't know why, I just feel like something will change."

"Strange," Gwaine shook his head. "Well, I can never forgive Morgana or Arthur as he was when he was under her enchantment, but at least it lead to one good thing. You know each other now, and I hope Cuilén does not leave Camelot for some time."

"He won't," Merlin assured Gwaine with a knowing smile in his voice.

"And you'd better not leave again either!"

"Believe me, I won't," Merlin smiled at his cousin, which is what they had decided to call each other when they couldn't figure out what the correct term was. "Why would I when I have the best family I could ever want right here in Camelot?"

Gwaine smiled at Merlin and pulled him into a hug.

"I had better be included in that family," came the soft voice of Arthur from the doorway.

"Never prat," Merlin retorted without turning around, releasing Gwaine before turning to Arthur.

For a moment, Arthur looked genuinely hurt, and it flashed across his mind that, after doing so much wrong, perhaps they were right. Perhaps he didn't deserve to belong to their now right-knit group.

"I'm kidding!" Merlin spoke up quickly, wincing at Arthur's expression. "You're like the bossy older brother who thinks of no one but himself most of the time, but every once in a while you come in handy."

Merlin grinned cheekily, and Arthur was quick to roll his eyes.

"Thanks _Mer_lin," Arthur said, pretending to annoyed, but he was pleased to be a part of Merlin's family.

"Prat," Merlin smiled.

"Idiot," Arthur grinned.

"Dolluphead," Gwaine added.

"Hey, that's my word!" Merlin frowned at Gwaine.

"Too bad." Gwaine said, "I used it."

"I'll have to come up with something for you," Merlin frowned. "Though you could never be nearly as much of a prat as Arthur."

Gwaine looked conflicted, "I'm not sure whether to take that as a compliment or try beating Arthur in who is a worse prat."

"No one could beat me at being a prat," Arthur said decisively.

Merlin chuckled as they argued, they would turn it into a contest.

"Let's call it even and have neither of you be prats to me. I'm already tired enough as it is," Merlin laughed lightly. "And you'll wake up Cuilén at this rate."

Both men instantly quieted down, neither wanting to wake up the young boy.

"He'll be happy to have a family again," Gwaine smiled suddenly, his voice as soft as Gwaine's voice could get.

"What happened to his family?" Merlin asked. "I never really did anything with my dad's side of the family."

"They died in a fire," Arthur surprised them both when he spoke. "I remember learning that. It was right after that that Morgana... That she... Took over, I guess."

"Where?" Merlin asked, "Didn't you say he lived in Ealdor?"

"That's where the fire was. He came here right after," Gwaine nodded.

"How long did he live in Ealdor for?" Merlin asked.

"Not very long, a month or two."

Merlin nodded, "He probably didn't know my mother then, did he?"

"Not well, no. Someday perhaps we'll return there, though Cuilén may want to stay away for a bit more time."

"If she had known she would have taken him in in a heartbeat," Merlin told Gwaine. "Then he wouldn't have gotten involved."

"I'm glad she didn't," Arthur spoke up. "Not that I'm glad he ended up in such a bad situation, of course, but he's a sorta nice kid. It'd be too bad to leave him in a small town like Ealdor, not that I don't like Ealdor! I just mean..."

"I know what you mean," Merlin laughed. "And I'm glad too. You may be my cousins, and you may be my king, but sometimes... Sometimes it almost seems like brothers."

Arthur grinned and he pulled Merlin into a headlock, to which the warlock protested loudly.

"Hey, what's that for?" Merlin cried.

"Isn't that what annoying older brothers are supposed to do?" Arthur grinned, releasing Merlin.

"Prat," Merlin grinned despite himself.

"Brothers," Arthur argued.

"Brothers," Gwaine chimed in.

"Brothers," Merlin agreed, placing a hand on Cuilén's shoulder. Then the trio sat in a friendly sort of silence, listening to the soft sound of Cuilén's gentle breaths.

MMM

From many, many miles away, Morgana screamed in anger. How dare Merlin come in and ruin everything when her plan had been going so well? How dare that serving boy, Cuilén, manage to save Merlin? How could any of it occur?

She screamed again and tore at her hair in anger. She would break apart, no destroy, their brotherhood if it was the last thing she did with her dying breath. She would destroy their so-called family, and make sure Merlin could never plot against her again. She swore it to herself, and then settled into her new throne to begin to plot, a wicked smile on her face.

* * *

**AN: **_Hope you liked it, tell me what you think by reviewing please!_

**_Sequel is posted and is called That Which is Good_**


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